1941

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1941

PG

Released Dec 14, 1979

1h 58m

Comedy

Action

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

39%

Tomatometer

28 Reviews

48%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, residents of California descend into a wild panic, afraid that they might be the next target. Among them are Wild Bill Kelso (John Belushi), a crazed National Guard pilot; Sgt. Frank Tree (Dan Aykroyd), a patriotic, straight-laced tank crew commander; Ward Douglas (Ned Beatty), a civilian willing to help with the American war effort at any cost; and Maj. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell (Robert Stack), who tries his hardest to maintain sanity amid the chaos.

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Critics Consensus

Steven Spielberg's attempt at screwball comedy collapses under a glut of ideas, confusing an unwieldy scope for a commensurate amount of guffaws.

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Tom Milne

Sight & Sound

1941 is perhaps one of those films that should be seen twice, so that disappointed expectations over the wayward behaviour of the slapstick no longer get in the way of pleasure over what goes on alongside it.

Jan 16, 2020

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Vincent Canby

New York Times

It may possibly be that Mr. Spielberg has chosen gigantic size and unlimited quantity as his comedy method in the awareness that he has no gift whatsoever for small-scale comic conceits.

Rated: 1.5/5

May 9, 2005

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Ian Freer

Empire Magazine

Unworkable farce, it maybe, but it is also blessed with the buzz of brilliance.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 1, 2000

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Jana Monji

Age of the Geek

This film erases both the worries and the activism of Asian Americans at an important time in Los Angeles history and totally ignores the existence of anti-Asian sentiments that was clearly reflected in legislation.

Rated: 1/5

May 1, 2024

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John Ferguson

Radio Times

Widely regarded as the one Steven Spielberg disaster, this sprawling comedy never deserved all the flak that was thrown at it.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 4, 2024

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

1941 is a cold cadaver that Spielberg insults with malign complacency. [Full review in Soanish]

Jan 16, 2024

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Tom B

Spielberg farce. Goofy but has some memorable scenes.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/05/24

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Audience Member

Great War film with a stacked cast that doesn’t take itself seriously. I love all the lights, and the 70’s cinematography. Nice job Mr. Spielberg.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/13/25

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J H

Excellent miniature effects, but that's about it.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/08/25

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thiago s

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fraco, o elenco é mais ou menos, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, a história é fraca, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/23/25

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Blu B

So yeah it's bad. As bad as it's reputation would have you believe. Easily Spielberg's worst thing. The pacing is just atrocious and nonstop off the walls all out assault on your senses. It NEVER stops with the stupid loud nonsense. It's like the 93' Super Mario Bros Movie in that sense. The music is good and the one saving grace of this. It's that classic Speilberg sounding tone and it works well. The cinematography is fustrating because you see solid special effects, tons of production value, an all star cast, good direction at times, but the actual actions and gags going on are ridiculous and so bad. It isn't good at all unfortunately. Everything else though is just bad. The jokes are just nonstop nonsense, terrible slapstick that NEVER STOPS. This has no clever setups in the slightest and WAY too many characters. It jumps around so much between different plot lines it's hard to keep up and half the time I don't even know. It jumps around as bad as a bad disaster movie does with stock throwaway characters. The stupid brawl that drags on for like 15 minutes is the crowning acheivement of nonsense. This needed to take it's time setting up a clever plot, less characters, and just tone it down with the nonsense. Skip This. I see why Spielberg never does comedies now.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/30/25

Full Review

Matt W

This is one of my guilty pleasure movies. It's gets crapped on a lot, even by Speilberg, but I love it. I've seen it so many times and find it so funny. It's so silly and slap stick, I think it's one of the funniest movies of it's time. Belushi is so over the top. So is all the cast. It's just a fun movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/20/24

Full Review

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Steven Spielberg

Director

John Belushi

Captain Wild Bill Kelso

Dan Aykroyd

Sgt. Frank Tree

Lorraine Gary

Joan Douglas

Ned Beatty

Ward Douglas

Treat Williams

Corporal Chuck "Stretch" Sitarski

Movieclips: John Williams: 11 Incredible Themes

27:14

1941: Official Clip - Wood, Hollis P.

4:02

1941: Official Clip - Patriotic Duty

1:55

1941: Official Clip - Lost

1:32

1941: Official Clip - Japanese Christmas Trees

2:32

1941: Official Clip - Don't You Dare Fire That Gun

1:36

1941: Official Clip - The Ferris Wheel Rolls

2:38

1941: Official Clip - Something in the Water

1:30

1941: Official Clip - Mass Hysteria

1:29

1941: Official Clip - Dance Hall Brawl

1:29

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Synopsis

After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, residents of California descend into a wild panic, afraid that they might be the next target. Among them are Wild Bill Kelso (John Belushi), a crazed National Guard pilot; Sgt. Frank Tree (Dan Aykroyd), a patriotic, straight-laced tank crew commander; Ward Douglas (Ned Beatty), a civilian willing to help with the American war effort at any cost; and Maj. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell (Robert Stack), who tries his hardest to maintain sanity amid the chaos.

Director: Steven Spielberg
Producer: Buzz Feitshans
Screenwriter: Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, John Milius, Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale
Distributor: Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures
Production Co: A-Team, Columbia Pictures Corporation, Universal Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Action, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 14, 1979, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2010
Runtime: 1h 58m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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