sixstringshowcase This is my favorite Neil Simon production. The entire cast is perfect. It gives you a very interesting perspective into one of the seldom-told experiences of WWII... those boys who didn't quite make it to the war, but still experienced all of the concern and loss of innocence beforehand. The pace is never erratic and delivers laugh after laugh while maintaining the seriousness of a lot of the realities those kids had to deal with. There were some unexpected surprises about the culture, too. And, New England boys in delta Mississippi is a lob that sets-up the perfect spike!I can watch this over and over and it never gets old. Mike Nichols brings it all to life as only he can do!

room102 I always thought 1988 was one of the best years at the cinema (together with 1984, 1990/1991 and 2000).I've seen this movie several times before, but not in a very long time. It's just as good as I remembered, perhaps even more. Excellent semi- autobiography comedy/drama about recruits in boot camp during WWII. Excellent writing by Neil Simon based on his play. Excellent cast - Matthew Broderick, Christopher Walken and many unknown others, all perfect in their roles, even the supporting cast in tiny roles (the girl playing the hooker and Penelope Ann Miller who is damn cute). Good production and good direction by Mike Nichols.Like GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, this is a great example of taking a play and making it into a GOOD cinematic presentation. The writing has a perfect combination of comedy and drama and all the characters are well defined and interesting - not like in many others movies in which the supporting characters blend with each other.I just realized that the play and the Eugene Morris Jerome character are part of a semi-biography trilogy by Neil Simon. Corey Parker, who plays Arnold Epstein "the intellectual Jew" to perfection, also played Eugene (Matthew Broderick's character) in a later TV production, Broadway BOUND (1992) with Jonathan Silverman who himself played Eugene in BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS (1986). And to close the loop, Matthew Broderick played in BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS on Broadway.I give 7.5/10 for the first half and 7/10 for the second half.

Spikeopath Biloxi Blues is directed by Mike Nichols and written by Neil Simon. It is based on Simon's semi-autobiographical 1985 play of the same name. It stars Matthew Broderick, Christopher Walken, Penelope Ann Miller, Corey Parker and Matt Mulhern. Music is by Georges Delerue and Bill Butler is the cinematographer.The second part of Neil Simon's Eugene Morris Jerome trilogy, the plot centres around Eugene's (Broderick) draft into the United States Army during the last year of World War II. Sent to training camp at Biloxi, Mississippi, Eugene is thrust in amongst people from all walks of life. Here he will not only learn about life, but also have it changed for him.Straight from the off I have to say that this has become one of my favourite films of all time. From the moment I first caught it back on release, where I only went to see it because it was written by the guy who wrote The Odd Couple, I have been humoured and charmed every year since without fail. On synopsis it seems to be yet another run of the mill coming of age picture, or just another tales from the boot camp time filler, but with Simon holding the pen and Nichols painting the narrative with careful nostalgic splendour, Biloxi Blues is much better than it's often given credit for. A film that is that rare old beast that strikes the right balance between laughter and sentiment. "It was hard to believe these guys had mothers and fathers who were worried about them" Although this is primarily Eugene's story, film is propelled by the bubbling concoction of a group dynamic. At training camp Eugene and the other lads have to face up to a number of challenges, not just growing up into men, but learning about bigots, bullies, homosexuals and intellectuals, all while under the borderline crazy command of Sergeant Merwin J. Toomey (Walken). They may all be different, from different backgrounds, but one thing binds them together, none of them want to be there! In other hands this group would have consisted of annoying stereotypes, but Simon and Nichols, courtesy of the writing and the garnering of acting performances, ensure this isn't the case. The audience isn't short changed with these characterisations because they are stripped down to being survivors by way of humour and naive honour. Thus it never feels false. "I wasn't in on that Pearl Harbour thing" One of America's most celebrated film critics said Biloxi Blues contains limp dialogue! That's something which I certainly can't begin to comprehend. For the film is an advertisement for witty retorts, where often responses are used as a survivalist tool, to de-heat a flare up or to hide nervousness. In this respect Biloxi Blues pays big on revisits, each time another little one-line gem registers where previously it had been missed, maybe because we are too focused on the airy sound track first time around? Or most likely because we are too lost in a "Eugene" or "Toomey" facial moment. One of the best passages in the story concerns a last week on Earth game the lads play, the writing is sharp, yet tender, funny, yet telling, it really is a case of laugh whilst being drawn into the frightening reality that these boys are a long way from home, and possibly soon to be fighting for their lives in some muddy trench. The cast are uniformly strong. Walken delivers one of his quintessential mania turns, marking Toomey out as being one click away from either sane or insane. Broderick holds court and narrates with earnest style, while Corey Parker is a revelation as intellectual Arnold Epstein, a guy who no matter how much he is persecuted by Toomey and the other rookies, refuses to be shaken and lose his principles. Miller and Park Overall get the two female roles of note, both memorable in short appearances, with the latter deliciously dry as a hooker with a heart. In the support there's macho mirth from Mulhern (stomach of a goat) and Markus Flanagan (he calls his mother Louise), homespun mystery from an excellent Michael Dolan, and wistful tunings from Casey Siemaszko as Don Carney (can anyone count on him?). The ending doesn't quite have the dramatic impact that many would expect, and there is indeed some mellow periods of tinted nostalgia that will have some viewers urging the pace to go faster. But these are mere fly specks on a mound of horse droppings. Biloxi Blues, a wonderfully rich comedy drama, and to my mind the best thing Simon has written. 10/10

wes-connors The year is 1945. Playwright Neil Simon's protagonist "Eugene Morris Jerome" (Matthew Broderick), from "Brighton Beach Memoirs" (1986), is off to join the U.S. Army. First, Mr. Broderick must complete ten weeks of basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi, with psychotic drill sergeant Christopher Walken (as Merwin J. Toomey). Broderick must also learn how to cope and bond with a diverse cast of fellow recruits. They philosophize about life, and fantasize about sex. Broderick's goals are to lose his virginity and fall in love, before shipping off to risk his life… This is one of Broderick's best roles (he played it successfully on Broadway); and, although he performs it very well, it really isn't the best written part in this comedy-drama (which is part of a Neil Simon trilogy). Broderick has a great dramatic scene with Mr. Walden, near the end of the film; he does his best with an only mildly amusing "loss of innocence" scene, with well-dressed prostitute Park Overall (as Rowena). The best-written role goes to Corey Parker (as Arnold B. Epstein); forsaking some end note about the future of Michael Dolan's "Hennesey" character.Mr. Simon's written words rise above the overall ordinary direction given the production; he has some very keen, and sometimes subtle, observations about life and love. Note that, upon first viewing, the characters are far more interesting than they initially appear. "Biloxi Blues" is a wistful tribute to the different people circumstances force us to relate to, after leaving home; how they inspire our lives, and become an essential part of our being.******* Biloxi Blues (3/25/88) Mike Nichols ~ Matthew Broderick, Christopher Walken, Corey Parker, Matt Mulhern