Movie Title: Down Periscope
Writer: Hugh Wilson, Andrew Kurtzman & Eliot Wald
Starring: Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holly, Rob Schneider, Harry Dean Stanton, Bruce Dern, William H. Macy, Ken Hudson Campbell, Toby Huss, Duane Martin, Jonathan Penner, Bradford Tatum, Harland Williams, Rip Torn, James Martin Jr., Jordan Marder, Joseph Latimore, Patton Oswalt
Review: Lt. Cmdr. Tom Dodge (Kelsey Grammer) is not your textbook Naval officer. That's why he's been assigned to captain the USS Stingray, an old diesel submarine that looks like it will sink rather than swim. With a crew of misfits (Lauren Holly, Rob Schneider, Harry Dean Stanton, Ken Hudson Campbell, Toby Huss, Duane Martin, Jonathan Penner, Bradford Tatum, Harland Williams, and Patton Oswalt) Dodge must throw the rules overboard and take on the U.S. Navy's best in a decisive war game.
Down Periscope is a very funny movie! It's goofy, silly, and doesn't take itself seriously which makes it that much more enjoyable. All of the actors look like they're having a blast! It feels like a classic sitcom that got turned into a feature film, but in a good way. It's a comedy that knows it's a comedy and has fun with its premise.
What really makes this movie work is its characters and their hilarious quirks. There's Nitro (Toby Huss), the electrician, who's taken a lot of voltage, Sonar (Harland Williams) who's unique whale sounds throw off the Navy as they search for the Stingray, and Marty Pascal (Rob Schneider) the uptight officer that annoys the rest of the crew with his relentless orders. Those are just three of them. Down Periscope packs the submarine with funny characters that all have their moments and memorable lines, plus the whole underdog, ragtag group thing that makes you enjoy watching them and root for them.
Down Periscope is one of those mid-90s forgotten comedies, but it's still funny and definitely worth a look. If you like wacky underwater shenanigans then PREPARE FOR DIVE!!!
Fun Fact: Harry Dean Stanton (Howard) actually served in the navy during WWII.