You're in the Navy Now

You're in the Navy Now (1951)

Genres - Comedy, Drama, War  |   Sub-Genres - Military Comedy  |   Release Date - Feb 23, 1951 (USA - Unknown), Feb 23, 1951 (USA)  |   Run Time - 93 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Review by Craig Butler

You're in the Navy Now is a disappointing naval comedy that seems to have played much better when it was originally released. Navy isn't dated in the usual sense, at least no more so than most other films of the same period; but it does come across as dated in that it involves a kind of situational comedy that has become overly familiar through the decades since it was released. However, even in its time, it's doubtful that Navy was any more than a moderately engaging film, something that caused more smiles and chuckles than it did outright laughs. Seen today, it's labored and frequently boring. The screenplay, which promises to build several comic set pieces and then fails to follow through on them, is chiefly to blame, but director Henry Hathaway also must be called to task. Hathaway seems to be operating on automatic pilot here, and his contributions are workmanlike and uninspired. It's a shame to also report that the talented and charismatic Gary Cooper also comes out of Navy the worse for the wear. He's not very comfortable in the role, and his attempts at comedy are too often forced. There's some good work from Eddie Albert, Jack Webb and Millard Mitchell, and it's fun to see Lee Marvin, Jack Warden and Charles Bronson this early in their careers, but overall, Navy is pretty tame stuff.