The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966)
Movie · 1966 · Comedy, War · 2h 6m · NR · English
Curator score: 4.6/10 (16.9K ratings)
IT'S A PLOT! ...to make the world die laughing!!
Overview
When a Soviet submarine gets stuck on a sandbar off the coast of a New England island, its commander orders his second-in-command, Lieutenant Rozanov, to get them moving again before there is an international incident. Rozanov seeks assistance from the island locals, including the police chief and a vacationing television writer, while trying to allay their fears of a Communist invasion by claiming he and his crew are Norwegian sailors.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.6/10
IMDb: 7.0/10
Letterboxd: 3.40/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Metacritic: 69
TMDB: 6.4/10
Director
Norman Jewison
Production
The Mirisch Company
Cast
Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, Alan Arkin, Brian Keith, Paul Ford, Theodore Bikel, Jonathan Winters, Tessie O'Shea, John Phillip Law, Ben Blue, Guy Raymond, Andrea Dromm, Sheldon Collins, Cliff Norton, Richard Schaal, Philip Coolidge, Don Keefer, Cindy Putnam, Parker Fennelly, Doro Merande
Where to watch
fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp Cold War premise and a strong ensemble make this a breezy, occasionally very funny satire, but the comedy is uneven and the film’s one-joke structure can wear thin. It’s worth watching if you enjoy 1960s studio comedies that mix farce with political anxiety.
Best for
Viewers who like Cold War satire
Fans of 1960s ensemble comedies
People who enjoy fish-out-of-water farce
Viewers interested in early mainstream anti-hysteria messaging
Skip if
You want consistently high-energy joke density
You dislike broad, occasionally dated comedy
You prefer tightly plotted comedies over premise-driven farce
You’re looking for a serious war film or a hard-edged political satire
Overview
Norman Jewison turns a potentially explosive Cold War setup into a broad, often amiable comedy about panic, misunderstanding, and the absurdity of mass fear. The premise does most of the heavy lifting, but the film gets real mileage from its ensemble, especially Alan Arkin, who gives the movie its most vivid comic energy.
Worth noting
What keeps it interesting now is less the punchline than the attitude: it treats both Americans and Soviets as frightened people trapped inside a ridiculous situation. That gives the film a surprisingly humane, lightly progressive edge for its era, even when the gags are uneven or stretched thin.
Bottom line
As a comedy, it’s more clever and good-natured than consistently hilarious, but it remains an appealing time capsule of 1960s studio filmmaking. If you’re in the mood for a big, noisy, premise-first farce with a little bite, it still lands often enough to recommend.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (3.5★) · 168 likes
One of those movies that kept popping up in my casual search and look for Oscar contenders and winners. However, I didn't get around to looking into it until now.
And, while I've seen Alan Arkin in better and funnier parts, he was great in this one. He manages to convey the zany, hip, and ultimately likeable personality of a Russian exiled to a small American town during the Cold War who longs to reunite with his comrades back home.… more
Sam (3.5★) · 92 likes
Despite the unevenness within its pacing, this film was hilarious and brilliantly utilized the comedic side of an undeniably dramatic event. Norman Jewison had such a great career and this isn’t a mishap in the middle of the road. The cast is also a whole lotta fun.
Zoë 🐛 (1.5★) · 40 likes
Boring and unfunny because the movie never GOES THERE. There is a lot of conceptual potential, first with the fish out of water story of these Russian soldiers in America, then with the kid and his brainwashing from Cold War propaganda he is engulfed in in school, finally with the townspeople, all freaking out over the scary communists infiltrating their idyllic community. These are all funny threads! But the movie does absolutely nothing with them! If jokes are going to… more Boring and unfunny because the movie never GOES THERE. There is a lot of conceptual potential, first with the fish out of water story of these Russian soldiers in America, then with the kid and his brainwashing from Cold War propaganda he is engulfed in in school, finally with the townspeople, all freaking out over the scary communists infiltrating their idyllic community. These are all funny threads! But the movie does absolutely nothing with them! If jokes are going to… more
Schratzi (3★) · 40 likes
No, this is not a documentary about recent Ukraine history, but rather one of those large-scale, loud and loooong slapsticky comedies that enjoyed fleeting popularity during the 60s.
This one’s all about a Russian submarine accidentally stranded off the coast of a small Massachusetts island and the chaos and hilarity that ensue when nine Soviet sailors sneak on shore, causing untold panic among the islanders, who naturally suspect an enemy invasion.
It’s all a bit of a one-joke situation that’s… more No, this is not a documentary about recent Ukraine history, but rather one of those large-scale, loud and loooong slapsticky comedies that enjoyed fleeting popularity during the 60s.
This one’s all about a Russian submarine accidentally stranded off the coast of a small Massachusetts island and the chaos and hilarity that ensue when nine Soviet sailors sneak on shore, causing untold panic among the islanders, who naturally suspect an enemy invasion.
It’s all a bit of a one-joke situation that’s… more