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Sgt. Bilko

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For the TV series, seeThe Phil Silvers Show.
Sgt. Bilko
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJonathan Lynn
Written byAndy Breckman
Based onThe Phil Silvers Show
byNat Hiken
Produced byBrian Grazer
Starring
CinematographyPeter Sova
Edited byTony Lombardo
Music byAlan Silvestri
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • March 29, 1996(1996-03-29)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$39 million
Box office$37,956,793

Sgt. Bilkois a 1996 Americanmilitarycomedy filmdirected byJonathan Lynnand written byAndy Breckman.It is an adaptation of the 1950s television seriesThe Phil Silvers Show,often informally calledSgt. Bilko,or simplyBilko,and starsSteve Martin,Dan Aykroyd,Phil HartmanandGlenne Headly.

Plot

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Master SergeantErnest G. Bilko is in charge of the motor pool at Fort Baxter, a smallUnited States Armybase that develops new military technology. Exploiting this position, he directs a number of scams, ranging from gambling to renting out military vehicles. His commanding officer,ColonelJohn Hall, overlooks Bilko's money-making schemes, as he is more concerned with problems in the "Hover Tank" that the base is designing.

MajorColin Thorn, an officer from theU.S. Army Inspector General's office, arrives at the camp and begins to scrutinize Bilko's record. Officially, Thorn is at Fort Baxter to conduct a general inspection and determine if the base should remain open in light of recent defense cutbacks. He is also determined to get revenge on Bilko to settle an old score the two have fromFort Dix,where Thorn was nearly court-martialed after a fixed boxing match which resulted in Thorn being shipped off toGreenlandin the belief that he tried to fix the fight.

Bitter and unprincipled, Thorn is not above breaking the law to ruin Bilko. He attempts to steal Bilko's long-time fiancée Rita, whom Bilko has stood up at the altar more than a dozen times. Rita is tired of waiting and gives Bilko 30 days to win her back or lose her for good.

Bilko, with the help of newly assigned Private First Class Wally Holbrook, devises a means of avoiding Thorn's attempt to transfer him to Greenland: He rigs a demonstration of the base's malfunctioning Hover Tank, staged before a four-star general and numerous government officials. Since Thorn had deliberately tried to sabotage the tank the previous night, he confronts Bilko, Hall, and the general, loudly insulting Bilko and Hall. While ranting, he confesses to sabotaging the Hover Tank. Thorn is sent off again to Greenland.

The last day of Rita's ultimatum has come. Just as she sadly begins to write Bilko off forever, Rita hears men outside her house, serenading her with afavorite songof hers and Bilko's. Looking out, she sees Bilko and his platoon. Bilko asks Rita to marry him, and she accepts. The next day is their wedding day, but Rita shows up late, due to a mix-up overDaylight Saving Time.After they play another card game (if Bilko wins, they get married), they finally get married. Unknown to Bilko, Rita is holding four aces in her hand.

Cast

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Casting

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Albert Brookswas offered the role of Ernest G. Bilko, but turned it down.[1]

Reception

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On the film-critic aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,Sgt. Bilkoreceived a 30% positive ratings from 40 reviews, with an average rating of 4.6/10.[2]OnMetacritic,it has a score of 47 out of 100 based on reviews from 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[3]

Gene SiskelandRoger Ebertgave ittwo thumbs upon their television show.[4]Ebert praised Steve Martin's performance and enjoyed "all the little jokes hidden in the corners" of the movie.[5]Audiences surveyed byCinemaScoregave the film a grade of "B+" on a scale of A+ to F.[6]It won the award for Worst Resurrection of a TV Show at the1996 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards.[7]It also failed at the box office.[8]

References

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  1. ^Evans, Bradford (June 30, 2011)."The Lost Roles of Albert Brooks".Vulture.
  2. ^Sgt. BilkoatRotten Tomatoes
  3. ^"Sgt. Bilko Reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.RetrievedSeptember 20,2022.
  4. ^Sgt. Bilko, Jack & Sarah, A Family Thing, Carried Away, From the Journals of Jean Seberg, 1996, (incomplete).August 14, 2019.RetrievedMarch 10,2021– via siskelebert.org.
  5. ^"Sgt. Bilko".RogerEbert.com.1996-03-29.Retrieved2021-03-10.
  6. ^"Cinemascore".Archived fromthe originalon 2018-12-20.Retrieved2020-07-21.
  7. ^"Past Winners Database".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-01-03.Retrieved2021-06-07.
  8. ^Sgt. BilkoatBox Office Mojo
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