The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!

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The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!

Released May 25, 1966

2h 6m

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

When a Soviet submarine gets stuck on a sandbar off the coast of a New England island, its commander (Theodore Bikel) orders his second-in-command, Lieutenant Rozanov (Alan Arkin), to get them moving again before there is an international incident. Rozanov seeks assistance from the island locals, including the police chief (Brian Keith) and a vacationing television writer (Carl Reiner), while trying to allay their fears of a Communist invasion by claiming he and his crew are Norwegian sailors.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Arkin, in his film bow, is absolutely outstanding as the courtly Russian who kisses a lady's hand even as he draws a gun.

Aug 8, 2008

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Empire Magazine

Sweet and charmingly funny in many places, this is dated but entertaining.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 30, 2006

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Fabulously funny!

Rated: 4/5

Jun 19, 2003

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

From the same school of wacky, overblown, sixties comedies as It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and The Great Race comes this wacky, overblown, sixties comedy whose greatest asset is Alan Arkin in his memorable, Oscar-nominated film debut.

Rated: 2.5/4

Feb 10, 2024

Full Review

Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! addresses serious themes in a farcical manner and gets a breakout performance from Alan Arkin in the process.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jan 18, 2024

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Wendy Michener

Maclean's Magazine

The Russians Are Coming is not the best comedy of the year but it stands out in a lean period for good old American slapstick.

Jun 27, 2019

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Alan g

A very funny take on the cold war. Emsemble cast meshes well. Happy ending.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/02/24

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Shawndell J

If you wanted to forecast the eventual decline of Hollywood. Its this kind of drivel that was produced in the 60's. I would rather watch Barbarella.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/22/24

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Larry K

A fun movie. Just what you would expect from this era

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/21/24

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Sparky B

This is an absolutely delightful film. The situation builds on itself as things slowly get out of hand on a small New England island when a Soviet submarine runs aground just off the coast. There are only a hand full of cold-war comedies worth watching....this is one of them. 😄

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/24

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S R

A sweet comedy that bridges the Cold War sides by boiling down commonalities and making fun of our fears. It's a well made movie that reminded me of better times when movies were quality and not vulgar. My only frustration was with Reiner's character and his helplessness. Regardless, Arkin won an Oscar for best actor. Saw on TCM.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/16/23

Full Review

Michael W

This comedy classic was pretty good. Carl Reiner, Alan Arkin, Eva Marie Saint, and the rest of the cast did a pretty good job in this movie. The plot of the movie was kind of entertaining, but very peculiar. It's about a town getting paranoid over fear of a Soviet invasion. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you might enjoy it. That's my opinion.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/24/23

Full Review

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Norman Jewison

Director

Carl Reiner

Walt Whittaker

Eva Marie Saint

Elspeth Whittaker

Alan Arkin

Lt. Rozanov

Brian Keith

Police Chief Link Mattocks

Jonathan Winters

Officer Norman Jones

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The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!: Official Clip - Trust the Enemy

1:42

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!: Official Clip - Finding the Keys

2:28

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!: Official Clip - Down the Stairs

2:48

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!: Official Clip - Arnold Benedict

2:25

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!: Official Clip - The Militia Forms

2:19

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!: Official Clip - Hanging Around

1:07

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!: Official Clip - Under Arrest

2:32

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!: Official Clip - The "Norwegians"

2:57

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!: Official Clip - We've Got to Get Organized

1:00

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!: Official Clip - Nothing Personal

2:36

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Synopsis

When a Soviet submarine gets stuck on a sandbar off the coast of a New England island, its commander (Theodore Bikel) orders his second-in-command, Lieutenant Rozanov (Alan Arkin), to get them moving again before there is an international incident. Rozanov seeks assistance from the island locals, including the police chief (Brian Keith) and a vacationing television writer (Carl Reiner), while trying to allay their fears of a Communist invasion by claiming he and his crew are Norwegian sailors.

Director: Norman Jewison
Producer: Norman Jewison, Walter Mirisch
Screenwriter: Nathaniel Benchley, William Rose
Distributor: United Artists, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: The Mirisch Corporation [us]
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 25, 1966, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Runtime: 2h 6m

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