M*A*S*H

Composite Score: 85.53

Starring: Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall, Roger Bowen, Rene Auberjonois, David Arkin, Jo Ann Pflug, Gary Burghoff, Fred Williamson, Kim Atwood, and John Schuck

Director: Robert Altman

Writer: Ring Lardner Jr.

Genres: Comedy, Drama, War

MPAA Rating: R for sexual content

Box Office: $81.60 million worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                M*A*S*H is the film adaptation of Richard Hooker’s novel, MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, from Robert Altman, which follows the goings-on at an army medical outpost during the Korean War. The film stars Donald Sutherland as Hawkeye Pierce, Elliott Gould as Trapper John McIntyre, Tom Skerritt as Duke Forrest, Sally Kellerman as Margaret “Hot Lips” O’Houlihan, and Robert Duvall as Frank Burns alongside a deep supporting cast of memorable characters. In addition to spawning a wildly successful television series, the film released to positive critical reception, earning five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actress and a win for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film’s portrayal of the harsh realities of modern warfare and the dehumanizing toll it takes on those at the frontlines combined with its witty humor helps it stand the test of time as a classic.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                If you’ve ever seen the television show that stemmed from this film, you’ve probably seen the better adaptation of the source material. As a film, M*A*S*H is heavy on themes, humor, and undertones, but tragically low on plot. That might work for you if you’re looking for a film that captures the monotony of war and the ways that people seek to break that monotony by any means necessary. However, if you’re someone who looks for character motivations and driving moments and climactic scenes and development, you don’t really get the fullness of that story experience here. Sure, each scene/vignette has a climax of sorts before moving to the next, but there is a marked lack of narrative cohesion that works better in a television series with individual episodes that can play in that low-stakes space more easily than a film can.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                While its episodic nature might not lend itself to the most engaging narrative, it does capture the essence of war and the ways that it forces people into dehumanizing situations that leave them grasping for any shred of authentic humanity, often in uncharacteristically humorous fashion. Each scene of the characters participating in their medical work has this feeling of distance and inhumanity as the patients’ faces are never seen and even those of the doctors and nurses are covered. Meanwhile, the intervening scenes of hijinks and shenanigans are full of expression and lewdness and individuality that are so deeply muted in the scenes of violence and operation that the audience is left with a feeling of whiplash from moment to moment in the film. That sense of inconsistency that permeates the film is what holds it up as an all-time great far beyond any of the individual jokes or performances. It encapsulates the unpredictable nature of war and gives the audience just the slightest taste of the difficulty our soldiers so often have in maintaining their humanity while in combat situations.

                The true success of M*A*S*H lies not so much in its humor or characters but in the authentic sense of disconnectedness that permeates the film, leaving the audience with the sense that these soldiers, joking though they may be, deserve our sympathy, marking the film as one worth remembering in cinematic history. Its narrative certainly feels more suited to television than film at most points, but it still manages to keep you connected thanks to the consistency of its cast and atmosphere. You can currently rent this film on most streaming services if you’d like to check it out.