It seems strange to say this about a movie that has very few moments of high drama and virtually no moments of great excitement, but "Biloxi Blues" has a strangely compelling quality to it. Once you begin to watch, you'll stay with this through to the end. Director Mike Nichols does an excellent job of bringing the viewer into the lives of the disparate group of young men who find themselves suddenly soldiers in 1945, facing the prospect of being sent to the Pacific to fight and quite possibly die for their country. From the very beginning, we want to know about these men: who they are, what makes them tick, and, most important - what's going to happen to them?

There are several fine performances in this movie. Matthew Broderick is excellent (he seems to have a knack for military roles, as in both this and "Glory") as Private Eugene Jerome, a young, idealistic Jewish teenager, just out of high school, who dreams of being a writer rather than a soldier. Much of the movie is seen through his eyes as we see him come of age in many different ways. There's great humour involved as he loses his virginity with the understanding prostitute Rowena (Park Overall). Eugene is simply a likable young man who we enjoy watching grow up. Corey Parker put on a strong performance in a supporting role as Private Albert Epstein, who challenges military authority from Day 1. Another scene of brief humour is when Epstein presents a note from his doctor in New York, asking that he be excused from having to eat army food. Also offering a strong performance is Christopher Walken as the slightly off-balance Sargeant Toomey, who drives his platoon relentlessly.

If you're looking for a classic war movie, you'll want to avoid this. But if you're interested in a story about genuine people, give it a try. I enjoyed this movie very much, and would rate it as a 7/10.

Eugene Jerome (Matthew Broderick) is a year out of high school and joining the Army in 1945. He is sent to basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi with various characters. There are the brutes like Wykowski, a brainiac Epstein, and the tough drill Sgt. Toomey (Christopher Walken). Jerome wants to write and has to survive this unstable collection of people.

The Neil Simon script is quirky and cute. It comes off as a little light weight when compared to all the other great military training movie. There are every stereotypes in the book. The protagonist Eugene is sarcastic smart mouth. Epstein is a super effeminate Jew. Every character is a 3 word descriptive cartoon. There is only so much that director Mike Nichols can do with this Neil Simon recollection of his wartime life.

Eugene, the young hero from "Brighton Beach Memoirs", has headed off to basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi to prepare to serve in the Army as America reaches the end of World War II. He gets a wakening he won't soon forget. Matthew Broderick, the young actor who played Eugene on Broadway in both "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and "Biloxi Blues", repeats his role of Eugene after skipping the movie version of "Brighton Beach Memoirs", returning to the role for this movie as his age was more appropriate for being in the army rather than the youthful teen of the first Neil Simon semi-autobiographical play. Confronted with a rather eccentric sergeant (the always amazing Christopher Walken) and a diverse group of recruits, Eugene finds himself both loved and despised as the men gain camaraderie until they discover Eugene's journal of his experiences. But one thing for sure, each of the men grows up from knowing each other, and life is never boring when you've got an unpredictable drill instructor like Walken. This enjoyable but predictable coming of age comedy is nicely acted with Broderick charming, Walken authoritative, and the ensemble diverse in the variety of characters surrounding Eugene. Penelope Ann Miller has a nice small role as the young local girl Broderick encounters, but the focus is on the men. Eugene returned for one final stage and movie fling, "Broadway Bound", the movie of which was made for cable TV.