On R List of Movie Reviews
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The Russians Are Coming,
the Russians Are Coming (1966)
Rate:
4
Viewed:
5/17
5/17:
It was awkward to get through the beginning of The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming because I was thinking,
"Uh, subtitles?"
Afterwards, the film somewhat improved, and it was starting to become funny. Then, I stopped laughing, and the rest of the
way turned out to be a massive dud. Even the ending felt like a shameless pitch for the Nobel Peace Prize by allowing the
white Americans and Russians to get along together.
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming is so dated that it's literally a product of 60's screwball comedies.
Even worse is the boy and the girl falling in love with each other because they happen to be the most beautiful people in the
world. By the way, the filmmakers didn't shoot the picture on location in the Eastern Seaboard as the whole thing was done in
Mendocino, California. So much for authenticity.
Already proficient in speaking the language due to being raised in a Russian Jewish household, Alan Arkin may have scored an
Oscar nomination, but he's just okay. He would deserve it more for
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter and should've gotten
another for Wait Until Dark. Not much of credit is given to Brian Keith who's the
other shining star. It's easy to see how good of an actor he was.
Jonathan Winters is the most annoying of the cast. He was overdoing his part, especially the way he squinted his eyes. That's
why he didn't last long in movies, having made the transition to television. Eva Marie Saint, as always, is hopelessly wasted
which is becoming a common theme of her career. Her co-star, Carl Reiner, is boring given the fact that he's a comedy writer.
All in all, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming isn't a funny movie and fails to stand the test of time.