A Man Called Sarge (1990) User Reviews

Army comedy

[BandSAboutMovies · 3/10 · 6 August 2022]

During the World War II North African Western Desert Campaign, an army made up of French Foreign Legion deserters is led by the charismatic Sarge Duke Roscoe (Gary Kroeger) as they go into the Sahara desert to attempt to take back the city of Tobruk from Generalmajor Klaus Von Kraut (Gary Singer).

A Man Called Sarge was produced by Gene Corman, brother and production partner of Roger Corman, and also the producer of Tobruk, a dramatic version of the same story, with executive producers being Yoram Globus and Christopher Pearce, as Menahem Golan was gone.

Seeing as how this is a Cannon Israel-shot comedy, these two things occur: a music teacher gets involved and Yehuda Efroni is in the movie.

For years, this was hard to find, only airing on cable, but MGM finally made it available on DVD. It's not great - hey you can find it on Tubi - but it's kind of funny to see Singer play a bad guy and you can spot a very young Natasha Leone as a young girl who the Beastmaster punches right in the face.

Desperately seeking this movie on VHS

[nissetec · 1 February 2000]

This is the most wonderful comedy I have ever seen. And I've seen a lot. The humor of this movie defines exactly my kind of humor. From the strange remarks of the persons in the movie to the ridiculous comments of the narrator it makes me roll on the floor laughing. It's been about 7 years since I saw it last. So now I'm looking for it on VHS (preferably PAL). Where do I find it on sale? Can anyone guide me in the right direction? If you ever come across it I can only recommend that you see it. Watch any false teeth when you laugh.

The horror...the horror...

[wileypeter · 1/10 · 8 August 2004]

A Man Called Sarge may be the worst film ever made. It's playing on the local Fox affiliate's "Sunday Afternoon At The Movies" type- thing. I cannot make myself keep watching it. It stars Gary Kroeger and Marc Singer, and is ostensibly a Mel Brooks-esque/Zucker- Abrams-esque romp through WWII North Africa movies (e.g. The Desert Fox or The Desert Rats). The problem being that the formula was already a bit calcified by the time Airplane was made in 1980, and this steaming heap was sh...uh, made, in 1990, featuring a never-went-anywhere Saturday Night Live alum named Gary Kroeger from the brutally bad seasons 8-10. And Gary Singer is the Nazi nemesis? This movie makes Top Secret look like Young Frankenstein. The basic difficulty is this: Clichés are not in and of themselves funny. I suppose if you're drunk or stoned this might not be true, but in the cold light of a sober Sunday afternoon this truism applies, and how. Add to that the lack of Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman or even Leslie Nielsen and you get this punishing feature. This is not a "hey, this is so bad it's good" movie. This is just horrible, like a hundred paper-cuts or being surprised by bad milk.

Solid Comedy

[djcali · 7/10 · 30 November 2002]

Good film comedy is having just enough of a plot to hang some jokes on. In that respect `A Man Called Sarge' definitely qualifies as a good comedy. However it also qualifies as a good comedy for another reason: it's genuinely funny. It's not clever funny, or deeply thought provoking funny, it's good old fashioned throw a bunch of jokes against the wall and see what sticks funny where you can see that the cast was having a good time making the film and as a result the audience has a good time watching it.

Will it ever be considered amongst the all-time great comedies? No it won't, but it's definitely a good way to kill an hour and a ½.

ABSOLUTELY STUPID AND WONDERFUL

[TEXICAN-2 · 10/10 · 2 November 1999]

This movie is absolutely stupid and wonderful at the same time. It's an Airplane-type movie. It does all the silly jokes, visual and verbal.

The star, Gary Kroeger, slips into a fair John Wayne impersonation throughout the movie. Marc Singer as the German Von Kraut, is fantastic, and does a terrific accent.

If you enjoy this type of movie, find it, watch it, and enjoy. It's great.

an embarrassing pleasure

[baal rob · 7/10 · 7 September 1999]

i do not understand why this movie is so often overlooked. it may not be a classic, but it has it's moments. true, sometimes the humor can be sophomoric, even down right childish at times, but there are the occasional jokes that an adult would to think about to understand. it has a goofy plot, but is surprisingly well acted. it will not change your life in any way, but it is pointless entertainment and (for the most part) non-thought provoking fun.

Silly but it works

[chrisklecker · 6/10 · 24 April 2008]

A Man Called Sarge like The Big Bus was an obscure comedy that tried to sell on the success of Airplane and Top Secret. What we got was a funny movie but a lot of the time the jokes were stretched so thin you struggled to actually laugh. Sure you would chuckle at the few visual gags or the sexual gags, hell even the whole Duck/Dump sequence is actually quite hilarious, but in the end A Man Called Sarge is just a silly movie. Yet ironically it still works. The actors kept the movie moving. The pace is a constant velocity and Gary Kroger does a good job in keeping the audience interested in what's happening on the screen. Other characters are just embarrassing like The French Poodle or Major Browning. Marc Singer's Von Kraut is hilarious and his accent just adds to the character.

The movie doesn't fail on the toilet humor which in some cases is just plain horrible, but the opening sequence certainly gives you a solid indication in the direction of the movie. That is, if you are in 10 minutes and can't stand what you are watching, turn it off. The movie doesn't get any better, but on the other hand, it doesn't get any worse either.

Highlights: The train sequence is good. The dump/duck sequence is classic. The sequences in the base camp are gold and Von Kraut being told about a loss at a dinner party is probably the funniest part in the movie.

Silly, funny, but definitely not for everyone

[Vodstok · 8/10 · 7 February 2005]

A man called sarge is one of those movies that isn't for everyone, but those of us that don't hate it, love it. It is full of stupid jokes, as noted before in the vein of the naked gun and Airplane. Being set in WW2, it completely lacks any PCisms at all. Germans are "Huns" (or "krauts", Americans are "Yanks", English are "Limeys", french are "Frogs"... you get the picture.

Most of the jokes are crude and cruel, and that is why many of us love it so much. It had some very South-park like jokes years before there was a south park. And it has a great sense of self-awareness that is funny only if it is done correctly, which it is.

In the movie, Sarge and his platoon are supposed to blow up the fuel dump at Tobruk, in Norther Africa. i was surprised to learn that there WAS a fuel dump at Tobruk, and it's destruction had a huge impact on the tank war in norther Africa.

However, in the movie, sarge and his men are supposed to blow it up. They then find out (after the fact) that they Aren't supposed to blow it up. make sense? not really, but with parts like the one where Sarge calls the attention of an entire German regiment to point at one of his men and say "Hey Fellas, i got a Jew up here!!", it's pretty easy to forget the "plot" and just laugh at the NPC jokes.

Recommended for those with thicks skins, who love stupid humor. Helps if you have seen Patton and like old WW2 movies.

Airplane wannabe is half flop, half winner.

[ktmphd · 6/10 · 13 September 2000]

This is a late arrival in the host of movies that are Airplane wannabes. It is worse than some and better than some, but you cannot fault the writer, as he has few moments go by without some pun, pratfall, double entendre, visual or verbal joke or play on words, some of which are brilliant and some of which redefine the terms juvenile and sophomoric.

The leads, with the exception of Marc Singer, were (and still are) relative unknowns. But in spite of it all, it is a fun and funny film and you'll need to watch it two or more times to catch all the jokes, puns and take offs on other films.

Rent it and enjoy, but don't expect it to be another Airplane or Naked Gun, because it ain't!

How have I missed this one?

[al_duke · 9/10 · 26 July 2012]

I saw this the other day on ThisTV; how did I never see this? I knew from the outset that this was going to be a comedy, one of those crazy (some might say "stupid") comedies at that. I knew that I was going to like it. I was right, and this movie was crazy funny! It was just the thing to lift me after a long day! Gary Kroeger played a great "American hero" type as Sarge, and Marc Singer as General von Kraut was so awesomely over the top! Don't expect any kind of historical accuracy, for A Man Called Sarge doesn't even pretend to be an accurate portrayal of the North African campaign during "World War Eye-Eye". Still, if you like movies with crazy non PC humor, like Airplane!, the Police Academy series, or more recent ones like Not Another Teen Movie, the Scary Movies, Epic Movie or Meet the Spartans, you will definitely not be disappointed!

Enjoyable and sarcastic.

[oscar-35 · 15 August 2013]

*Spoiler/plot- A Man Called Sarge, 1990. A group of half-witted and untrained US soldiers get under the command of a street-smart platoon Sargent to successfully fight the Germans in North Africa.

*Special Stars- Gary Kroeger, Gretchen German, Marc Singer, Jennifer Runyon.

*Theme- Leadership is more about 'guts' than strategy.

*Trivia/location/goofs- A comedy parody of many major ww2 films in the desert.

*Emotion- If you like sardonic parodies that twist and make fun of film genres, this film is perfect for you. This film makes fun of the WW2 desert war film in every way. Enjoyable and sarcastic.

*Based On- 50's WW2 films.

Top Secret meets Airplane

[kint98 · 2 January 2023]

Although this movie is kind of corny, there some funny moments. It has bits of Airplane & Top Secret combined. It is quite good for a laugh or two.

I'll have to rate it about half way. About a 5.

Hard to imagine Marc Singer in a comedy after watching Beastmaster.

Alot of inaccurate segments, but it's just a silly movie not to be taken seriously.

The guy who plays Sarge reminds me of Robert Hayes in Airplane.

But what can I say, if your looking for a silly comedy, I recommend you watch it with a group of friends so you can critique it for laughs. This way it makes the movie funnier and possibly end sooner. Makes the time go by quicker.