Drafted into the air force, an unworldly and unintelligent young man unintentionally and obliviously causes grief for all his superiors in this lively comedy based on a play by Ira Levin. Clocking in at just under two hours, the film is noticeably on the long side. The material runs out of steam towards the end and the movie is very slow to warm up, but once Myron McCormick (as the easily irate drill sergeant) enters the picture around 20 minutes in, there is nary a boring moment to be had. Andy Griffith is decent in the lead role and Nick Adams offers some spunky support, but it is McCormick who truly makes the film come alive with all the funniest scenes working especially well due to his hilarious reactions. The funniest scene has McCormick showing off the latrines (rendered sparkling clean by Griffith) to his immediate superior, only for the situation to turn pear-shaped as Griffith opens his mouth and nonchalantly starts repeating things he has been told, including insults about the superior officer! The humour occasionally feels mean-spirited with a lot of jokes at the expense of the protagonist's lacking intelligence, but generally speaking, the laughs come from how Griffith unreservedly breaks and defies convention in an outfit (the air force) built so heavily on rules and regulations. It is a welcome reminder that a fresh perspective is sometimes necessary in life.
Review of No Time for Sergeants
