Fresh from the Fleet: A whole lot of noise

Is this thing worth your time?

Honestly, you probably only want to watch Fresh from the Fleet if you have a weird itch for 1930s variety shows or if you’re doing some kind of deep dive into forgotten studio filler. If you hate movies where everyone is constantly shouting over each other, stay far away. It’s exhausting.

The whole thing feels like a stage act that someone accidentally pointed a camera at. Tom Patricola is the main guy here, and man, does he have a lot of energy. Maybe too much.

The rhythm of it all

The plot is basically just an excuse to get these guys from one room to the next so they can start dancing again. There’s a scene about halfway through where they’re in a hotel lobby, and the blocking is just baffling. Everyone is moving like they’re trying to avoid being hit by a bus.

It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in When the Cat's Away, but with less charm and way more tap shoes hitting the floorboards. *Clack, clack, clack* for ninety minutes straight.

A few random thoughts

• The dialogue sounds like it was written on the back of a napkin five minutes before shooting.
• Buster West really, really wants you to notice his footwork. He’s doing the heavy lifting, that's for sure.
• The lighting is surprisingly flat, even for the era. Everyone looks like they’re standing in a giant, lukewarm bowl of milk.

There is a moment where they’re trying to hide from a superior officer, and it’s genuinely funny for about three seconds. Then they drag it out for another two minutes until it just feels like they’re all playing tag. Why are they still running? It doesn’t matter.

If you liked the vibe in Let Us Be Gay, you might find something to chew on here. But don’t go in expecting a cohesive story. It’s a sketch show that forgot to stop being a sketch show. ⚓️

Sometimes the movie just stops, someone does a bit of physical comedy that doesn’t quite land, and then we move on. It feels authentic in its own messy, slapdash way. It’s not great, but you can tell they were trying hard to make something move fast.