Sgt. Bilko is in charge of the Motor Pool at an Army base. He's also a lovable con man, providing gambling facilities for the soldiers on base. When an old antagonist from his past shows up to inspect his records and steal away his fiancé, Bilko has to put his skills to creative use.....Made in a time when Hollywood for some reason decided to mock their armed forces with films such as McHale's Navy, and Down Periscope, Bilko is the best of a bad bunch, and it's thanks to Martin's energetic performance, and Hartman's wonderfully asexual villain.Throw in a cast of people who you recognise from better things, and Dan Ackroyd slumming it as a buffoon of a captain, you end up with a mediocre comedy that never really grates, but never really entertains in the way it should be.It's one of those films that looks okay from the trailers, you end up watching it because you have a hangover, and then it finishes and you get on with the rest of your day.When this was made, Martin wasn't really hitting big anymore with his movies. And like another SNL alumni, one Eddie Murphy, he was only getting hits with remakes of older films, and then, Bowfinger.These five years in his career were really bad for him. He was churning out films that were trying to emanate the films that made him a household name in the eighties, but this was the late nineties, and audiences wanted something a little fresher.Proof of this was when Pseudo English Journalist 'Dennis Pennis' approached Martin with a microphone and asked him one simple question'How come your not funny anymore?'...The look on his face is both saddening and sobering.Much like the majority of his output in the nineties....

Based on the classic 50s comedy series, the movie plays out like an extended episode, seeing the wiley Bilko (Steve Martin) getting up to wacky money making schemes with his subordinates at a military base while keeping their superior (Dan Ackroyd) out of the loop. This time, it concerns an old rival of Bilko's (Phil Hartman) who is determined to expose Bilko's hijinks, all the while, Bilko deals with finding love and a new top secret weapon.Possibly a candidate for one of the most boring comedies I've ever sat down to watch, and the fact that this comes from 'Clue' and 'Yes Minister's' Johnathan Lynn makes this all the more inexcusable. Most of the film is completely wooden wordplay, lazy innuedo or poorly edited slapstick, and when it tries to have a plot, it's just a retread of every cheeky rascal/wacky army film comedy (seriously, name a trope and it's there. Crazy soldiers, stupid boss, snarky officer, harebrained schemes that take up more time than actual training, brand new deadly weapon, yadda yadda), and it does nothing new, clever or amusing with them to make the retread vaguely compelling.Not even the performances or production can save it. Every actor is just coasting by, with Ackroyd on complete autopilot in a thankless role, while Martin and Hartman regurgitate familiar 'smartass' and 'professional pain' routines we've seen many times from them respectively, and Lynn's direction is completely lifeless and televisual which only neuters the gags even more. Of note is an embarrassingly poor use of CG for the super tank that looks like it was ripped from a cut price PS1 game. Honestly, I just can't come up with more as the film is giving me nothing to work with. Among the careers of the people involved, this is an all time low, and I would advise avoiding unless you are a very, very die-hard fan of Martin. I'd happily take 'Pink Panther 1' and '2' over this any time.

Last night, I watched 'Sgt. Bilko (1996)' for the first time in a few years, and was surprised at the number of quotes that have crept their way into my everyday conversation. Just yesterday at the gym, for example, I declared to a struggling friend: "one, we're going for one!"). Directed by Jonathan Lynn, co-creator of the British sitcom "Yes Minister" and its sequel, 'Sgt. Bilko' is a tightly-scripted classic, one of my favourite 90s comedies. The film is a screen adaptation of "The Phil Silvers Show," which ran from 1955 to 1959. I haven't seen the series, so I have no point of comparison, but I would certainly like to at some point.Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko (Steve Martin) commands the motor pool at Fort Baxter, but his involvement with the army is in name only. Whenever his bewildered commander (Dan Ackroyd) is looking the other way, Bilko dedicates his not-inconsiderable energies towards gambling and other worthwhile pursuits. He has a girlfriend (Glenne Headly) who is mostly on his wavelength, but who perhaps resents being left at the altar on multiple occasions. When an old nemesis (Phil Hartman) arrives on the base, Bilko finds out that army isn't as leisurely as he'd come to believe.'Sgt Bilko' moves along at a headlong pace, with Steve Martin cracking one-liners without even drawing a breath ("All I've ever wanted was an honest week's pay for an honest day's work"). Highlights include the most uneventful boxing match in cinematic history ("For three rounds, nobody hit anybody. It was a dance recital"), a surprise inspection of somebody else's barracks ("It is my understanding that you can no longer ask me these questions, sir"), and Bilko's attempt to dissuade his girlfriend from marrying Major Thorn ("Think of the children. You're a Catholic and he's an arsehole, how will you raise them?").

You know what's weird? My mom was the biggest Steve Martin fan you would ever meet, she had(what I thought) all of his movies and watched every biography on him. So since she had a lot of his movies, I watched most of them with her. But my boyfriend kept telling me about a film called St. Bilko and how hilarious it was. I was stumped, I couldn't find it in my mom's collection nor did I ever hear of it. So my boyfriend and I went shopping and he found it on DVD, so we went home and watched it. This film just took me back to the classic comedies I grew up with like Trading Places, The Great Outdoors and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Steve Martin is always a great comedic actor who is a pleasure to watch, same with Dan Aykroyd. While this movie doesn't stand out as well as their other films, this was still a lot of fun to watch.Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko is in charge of the motor pool at Fort Baxter, a small US Army base. Exploiting this position, he directs a number of scams ranging from gambling to renting out military vehicles. His commanding officer, Colonel Hall, overlooks Bilko's money making schemes, as he is more concerned with his own affairs. Bad news begins when inspector Major Thorn, Bilko's rival, arrives at the camp and begins to cast scrutiny on Bilko's record. The motivation for Thorn's actions is due to the intense rivalry between the two due to several mishaps in the past, particularly because Thorn's career was ruined due to one of Bilko's scams. Thorn's revenge ensues and ultimately it becomes a battle of wits between the two men. Thorn's reliance on sabotage ultimately leads to his downfall and he is sent to Greenland. Also Bilko's fiancée, Rita, whom Bilko has stood up several times at the altar. Bilko is given an ultimatum to win her back within 30 days or to lose her forever.I have to say that I did enjoy St. Bilko, it was great seeing this army crew just goof off and enjoying boot camp. I think my favorite scene was when Bilko has to prove that his crew are hard workers and could complete the obstacle course that the other army recruits could do. Just their reactions of course being as if they've never exercised before in their lives was a good laugh. Steve Martin and his fiancée constantly taking a trip up and down the aisle was fun too. Plus this has one of my favorite comedic actors, Phil Hartman, who is again a great watch is always guaranteed to give you a good laugh. While the film may not stand out, this was definitely worth the watch. I would recommend it if you need a good laugh, you're always in good company with Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd and Phil Hartman, not to mention a baby Chris Rock.6/10