I never thought Biloxi Blues would be endearing or compelling it turned out to be. In fact, I thought this would be a major rip-off of the first half of Full Metal Jacket, but with zany comedy. I see some similarities between the two, but thankfully Biloxi Blues turned out to be it's own film. This is more of a character study, a story about growing up only with the setting in the military. It's often funny and each character is instantly memorable thanks to the wonderful performances.Mike Nichol's film is about a Jewish teen from Brooklyn named Eugene Jerome who travels to Mississippi to serve in basic training for the army during the latter years of the second World War. Along the way, he has encounters with his tough sergeant named Toomey, his platoon, and his first love in Daisy.This role was designed perfectly for Matthew Broderick. He has many hilarious scenes and has several dramatic ones as well. Christopher Walken was just awesome here. He brings something new to the role of the tough drill sergeant. I was reminded of the "bad cop, good cop" routine, but with just one person.Overall, Biloxi Blues is a worthwhile adaptation from Neil Simon's play. It's funny, poignant, and clever. The jokes are well-placed and some will have you gasping for breaths. But let me say that this is not a war film, because you'll be incredibly disappointed. If you're looking for one, don't even bother watching this and watch Full Metal Jacket instead. I rate this film 9/10.

It is difficult to believe that there is such a thing as the 'service comedy'. Well, there is and this film is one of them. What anybody could find remotely funny about being drafted into the army puzzles me, but it takes all kinds to make a world. The story concerns a young man from New York who is drafted and how he has to spend his time with a bunch of misfits in boot camp in Biloxi, Mississippi, where it is very hot and uncomfortable. He learns how to be a soldier and is meant to be 'grown up' by the end of his experiences. The film is written by legendary playwright Neil Simon but I have been lukewarm toward his other work and I found no reason to change my mind after seeing this film. I just sit here scratching my head thinking 'why' but his plays and movies are popular and have made a lot of money, so who am I to argue? Matthew Broderick plays the lead role of the young military novice but the only thing the film really has going for it is the presence of Christopher Walken as a psychotic drill sergeant, who makes Broderick's, and everyone else's life a nightmare with his somewhat strict adherence to the rules of combat in peacetime. Walken is a great actor and he makes a meal of his part, turning the sergeant into a monster who gives no quarter and doesn't receive any. At least I thought that at first, but somehow, through the process, the audience becomes sorry for him, despite or because of the fact that he is a total psychotic.. A few of the supporting players turn in good work but, this is forgettable, and something to be recommended only for people who like movies about the army. Whoever and wherever they may be, this is for them

The film is spoiled by the last 20 minutes.Otherwise, Neil Simon's writing is at its best as he describes Eugene Jerome's experiences in the army during World War 11.Simon etches out some real characters in this film that shows that bonds are possible between guys in wartime, even when there is religious and racial prejudice involved.It is a film declaring the coming of age of youth as Jerome loses his virginity and uses his talents as a writer to describe his experiences.Christopher Walken shines here as the brutal sergeant who gets the men to hate the 2 Jewish guys in the outfit. He lets Jerome and his buddy decide who will get the bad things to do. It is when Walken goes berserk at the end that the film goes awry.

In one of the many looks at days gone by, Neil Simon's alter ego Eugene Morris Jerome (Matthew Broderick) and friends go down to Biloxi, Mississippi, in early 1945 for basic training. Once there, they have to cope with one bad-ass sergeant (Christopher Walken) and a status quo totally unlike the one in New York. But we also see how the experience turns Eugene into a very different person, partially due to his relationship with local babe Daisy (Penelope Ann Miller)."Biloxi Blues", in my opinion, is far from Mike Nichols's best movie. I find it having strength in showing these young men's coming of age and wondering what to do with their future. But still, it's fun to see the environs of the WWII-era South. And I really liked Eugene's fake name when he met that one woman; I couldn't have come up with anything like that! Worth seeing, along with "Brighton Beach Memoirs".When Matthew Broderick played Ferris Bueller, who ever would have guessed that he would later play the guy - or the alter ego thereof - who wrote "The Odd Couple"?