Biloxi Blues (1988)

Director:

Mike Nichols

Writers:

Neil Simon (play)
Neil Simon (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 March 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

The Army made Eugene a man. But Daisy gave him basic training!

Plot:

A group of young recruits go through boot camp during the Second World War in Biloxi Mississippi. From the play by Neil Simon.

Plot Keywords:

Boot Camp | Sergeant | Sequel | WWII | Train

Cast

Matthew Broderick	...	Eugene Morris Jerome
Christopher Walken	...	Sgt. Toomey
Matt Mulhern	...	Joseph Wykowski
Corey Parker	...	Arnold B. Epstein
Casey Siemaszko	...	Don Carney
Michael Dolan	...	James J. Hennesey
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Daisy
Park Overall	...	Rowena
Alan Pottinger	...	Peek
Mark Evan Jacobs	...	Pinelli
David Kienzle	...	Corporal (as Dave Kienzle)
Matthew Kimbrough	...	Spitting Cook
Kirby Mitchell	...	Digger #1
Allen Turner	...	Digger #2
Tom Kagy	...	Digger #3

Also Known As:

Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues

Runtime:

106 min | UK:102 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:16 | Singapore:PG | Brazil:12 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, USA

Company:

Rastar Pictures

Trivia:

The second chapter of Neil Simon's semi-autobiographical "Brighton Beach Trilogy", which followed "Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986)" and is followed by "Broadway Bound (1992)".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Toomey is drunk outside the barracks in the rain, his personal ribbons and his marksmanship badge disappear and reappear between shots.

Quotes:

Joseph Wykowski: I've got three enemies now, Jerome. The Japs, the Germans, and you!
Eugene Morris Jerome: I wasn't in on that Pearl Harbor thing.
[Epstein, who has a problem with flatulence, selects the bunk next to Selridge]
Arnold Epstein: Is this bunk taken?
Selridge: Oh, no! I don't mind dyin', but I don't wanna get my nose blown off...

Movie Connections:

Features Buck Privates (1941)

Soundtrack:

Chattanooga Choo Choo

character comedy/drama

Biloxi Blues is a wonderful character comedy with strong dramatic scenes as well. Eugene Jerome (Matthew Broderick) is an anti-hero, who is typically concerned with making wisecracks, rebelling against the rigid drill Sergeant (Christopher Walken), and talking about wanting to become a writer. Similar to the dark pathos of characters in Catch-22, Biloxi Blues exposes men in the service who do not want to be there, who are incompetent, and basically as far from battlefield heroism as you can imagine. Mike Nichols directs, and his comedic and dramatic pace is pitched perfectly for the film.

The movie has quotable lines throughout. But if you are looking for a typical war movie, this is not for you. There are no heros, at least in the conventional sense, as the story focuses upon the dusty boot camp in Biloxi, Mississippi. The story does deal with sharp internal conflicts, and the cultural topics addressed emerge strongly against the backdrop of one of the US's most traditional institutions: the military. Although it has been over fifteen years since the release of the movie, the conflict in the movie feels timely and relevant for today's world. It's the type of tight, well-written comedy that rarely exists in current cinema.