Oh, what do you do with a misfit Captain? What do you do with a misfit crew? What do you do with a diesel submarine? Beat the Navy’s Atlantic Fleet! (sung to the tune of “What do you do with a drunken sailor?”)

Put together a misfit crew, a Captain with the heart of a pirate, and a WWII diesel submarine, and you have a great comedy.

Kelsey Grammer (from TV’s Frasier) plays an unconventional US Naval officer, Lt. Commander Thomas Dodge with an unusual tattoo. In fact, the tattoo is the reason he is chosen for a particular mission. Get past the rest of the US Navy’s Atlantic fleet in a series of war games to determine if a renegade diesel submarine captain could launch an attack on the US. If he can make it, Admiral Winslow might give Dodge his own nuclear submarine to command.

His opponent is Admiral Yancy Graham played by Bruce Dern. Admiral Graham really dislikes Dodge and has made every effort to stall his career. The Admiral purposely picks a crew of misfits to man the diesel submarine “The Stingray” in hopes of killing Dodge’s career.

Among the misfit crew are Seaman 1st Class Brad Stepanak (Winslow) - Admiral’s son that has no respect for authority, a hyperactive executive officer Lt. Martin Pascal, Seaman Buckman – the portly cook, Seaman 2nd Class E.T. "Sonar" Lovacelli – who talks to whales, Seaman Stanley "Spots" Sylversterson – who you expect to open a casino on board, Seaman Nitro – who thinks that "Mike” might be a good nickname, Seaman 1st Class Jefferson 'R.J.' Jackson – a basketball player that’s just waiting for his hitch in the Navy to be up so he can continue his basketball career, and Lieutenant Emily Lake, who is their Dive Officer on her first assignment.

The USS Stingray is re-commissioned JUST for this mission. She has been sitting in the submarine graveyard for many years. She is rusty, dirty, and needs major repairs to everything. Getting her into fighting condition will be a true test of Dodge’s ability to command.

Dodge is given two “Hot” torpedoes, with instructions that if he hits the dummy ship in Norfolk Harbor Admiral Winslow will consider giving him a new command. But first, Dodge has to make it past Admiral Graham’s forces into Charleston. He is to signal that he made it with a flare.

Graham, is not one to play by the rules and cuts the containment area in half in hopes that his forces can stop Dodge from reaching his objectives.

Despite the unfair play, Dodge and Crew win the war games, and actually look like a Naval Unit when they return to port. The movie reminds me of McHale’s Navy. The unorthodox methods used by Dodge are effective with a crew that didn’t fit in with the regular Navy. He was able to gain their respect, and mold them into a unified crew.

Be prepared to laugh. The slapstick comedy in this movie is excellent. There is a scene where a crewman blows a BIG Fart at a time when the engines are off and they are running silent. That means that there was no ventilation. The ways that the crew deals with the awful smell are classic comedy.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older