Caught in the Draft
2/4
Starring: Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Eddie Bracken, Lynne Overman, Clarence Kolb
Not Rated
Whenever I complain about how many terrible movies come out these days or how sick I am of the umpteenth superhero movie that just came out, my parents remind me that there were just as many terrible movies in the past as there were classics. For every movie like "Casablanca," there were a dozen like "Caught in the Draft." Okay, fine. "Caught in the Draft" is not a terrible movie. But it's no surprise to me that it has been largely forgotten.
Pampered movie star Don Bolton (Hope) is terrified of loud noises like gunshots, which is why the rumored draft terrifies him. Unfortunately, his attempts to woo the pretty Tony Fairbanks (Lamour) end up with him and his friends Bert (Bracken) and Steve (Overman) in the army. Now, to prove that he isn't a coward to Tony and her army commander father (Kolb), he's going to have to overcome his fears and turn into a model soldier. It's a tall order for him because he keeps screwing up.
They say that in comedy, timing is everything. I don't think that's necessarily true (dialogue and reaction shots are a huge part of it), but it is a lot. But in a farce like "Caught in the Draft," it's essential. That's where the film doesn't get it right. It lacks the tight energy to really make a madcap comedy like this pay off. Scenes go on too long, or at least they feel that way because the comic tension is deflated. The film's most amusing scene (where Don has to put on his uniform before anyone realizes he's not on guard duty) should be a lot funnier than it is. But the timing just isn't there, and as a result it isn't as hilarious as it should be. To understand what I am talking about, take a look at the webcam sequence in "American Pie." That infamous scene was timed so that it carried the momentum all the way through and built to one of the film's biggest laughs. This movie tries something similar, but doesn't do it that well.
Bob Hope is uneven. Looking very much like Marlon Brando, he does an adequate job when he's playing a character, but too often his vaudevillian instincts kick in and he turns the character into a fountain of one-liners. That's fine in something as silly as this, I guess, but Hope seems to be playing it both ways. His female co-star, Dorothy Lamour, is lovely, displaying spunk and an ease with her character that he lacks. The film's true star is Eddie Bracken, who plays the enthusiastic but dim-witted Bert. He has one of those faces that is just built to make the audience laugh, and he steals every scene that he is in.
"Caught in the Draft" is totally harmless and even sillier than it sounds. But it lacks the insanity to really work. Compare this to something like "Bringing Up Baby" or "The Philadelphia Story" (which is a closer cousin) and you'll see what I mean. This movie misses the mark by quite a bit, and is thus forgotten.
Starring: Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Eddie Bracken, Lynne Overman, Clarence Kolb
Not Rated
Whenever I complain about how many terrible movies come out these days or how sick I am of the umpteenth superhero movie that just came out, my parents remind me that there were just as many terrible movies in the past as there were classics. For every movie like "Casablanca," there were a dozen like "Caught in the Draft." Okay, fine. "Caught in the Draft" is not a terrible movie. But it's no surprise to me that it has been largely forgotten.
Pampered movie star Don Bolton (Hope) is terrified of loud noises like gunshots, which is why the rumored draft terrifies him. Unfortunately, his attempts to woo the pretty Tony Fairbanks (Lamour) end up with him and his friends Bert (Bracken) and Steve (Overman) in the army. Now, to prove that he isn't a coward to Tony and her army commander father (Kolb), he's going to have to overcome his fears and turn into a model soldier. It's a tall order for him because he keeps screwing up.
They say that in comedy, timing is everything. I don't think that's necessarily true (dialogue and reaction shots are a huge part of it), but it is a lot. But in a farce like "Caught in the Draft," it's essential. That's where the film doesn't get it right. It lacks the tight energy to really make a madcap comedy like this pay off. Scenes go on too long, or at least they feel that way because the comic tension is deflated. The film's most amusing scene (where Don has to put on his uniform before anyone realizes he's not on guard duty) should be a lot funnier than it is. But the timing just isn't there, and as a result it isn't as hilarious as it should be. To understand what I am talking about, take a look at the webcam sequence in "American Pie." That infamous scene was timed so that it carried the momentum all the way through and built to one of the film's biggest laughs. This movie tries something similar, but doesn't do it that well.
Bob Hope is uneven. Looking very much like Marlon Brando, he does an adequate job when he's playing a character, but too often his vaudevillian instincts kick in and he turns the character into a fountain of one-liners. That's fine in something as silly as this, I guess, but Hope seems to be playing it both ways. His female co-star, Dorothy Lamour, is lovely, displaying spunk and an ease with her character that he lacks. The film's true star is Eddie Bracken, who plays the enthusiastic but dim-witted Bert. He has one of those faces that is just built to make the audience laugh, and he steals every scene that he is in.
"Caught in the Draft" is totally harmless and even sillier than it sounds. But it lacks the insanity to really work. Compare this to something like "Bringing Up Baby" or "The Philadelphia Story" (which is a closer cousin) and you'll see what I mean. This movie misses the mark by quite a bit, and is thus forgotten.
Comments
Post a Comment