Movie Reviews : ‘Periscope’ Charts Familiar Comedic Course

At the beginning of “Down Periscope,” a routine, mildly funny service comedy, Bruce Dern, as an uptight admiral, describes Kelsey Grammer’s veteran captain as “impulsive, undisciplined and even reckless at times.” As a result, Grammer winds up commanding a World War II diesel-powered submarine, manned with misfits, that is to be pitted against the Navy’s nuclear fleet in a war game.

It’s too bad for the film that the captain doesn’t quite fit the admiral’s description. The guy is in fact a paragon: a daring, decisive, tremendously knowledgeable and resourceful leader of men. He is a free-thinker, alas, and does have a sense of humor, it’s true--of a purely innocuous nature; worse yet, this remorselessly calm man suffers from terminal blandness. The filmmakers’ notion of wild and wacky is to bring out the Village People--yes, the Village People--to sing “In the Navy” as the end credits unroll.

Not helping matters is that the predictable David vs. Goliath plot, the work of three writers, unravels under David S. Ward’s amiable but hardly inspired direction amid a thicket of technical jargon.

Sometimes the movie, despite its essential simplicity, is actually hard to follow. Although Grammer is pleasant and likable, “Down Periscope” is not much of a vehicle to enable the star of TV’s “Frasier” to make a deft transition to the big screen.

Also involved are such capable pros as Rip Torn as an admiral who is Grammer’s secret ally; Lauren Holly as the sub’s pert, inexperienced diving operator; Rob Schneider as its hysterical exec officer; and Harry Dean Stanton as the most seasoned member of the crew.

* MPAA rating: PG, for some crude language. Times guidelines: The language is mild, and the film is therefore suitable for family audiences.

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‘Down Periscope’

Kelsey Grammer: Tom Dodge

Lauren Holly: Emily

Rob Schneider: Marty Pascal

Bruce Dern: Admiral Graham

Rip Torn: Admiral Winslow

Harry Dean Stanton: Howard

A 20th Century Fox presentation. Director David S. Ward. Producer Robert Lawrence. Executive producer Jack Cummins. Screenplay by Hugh Wilson and Andrew Kurtzman & Eliot Wald. Cinematographer Victor Hammer. Editors William Anderson, Armen Minasian. Costumes Luke Reichle. Music Randy Edelman. Production designer Michael Corenblith. Art director Dan Webster. Set decorator Mickey S. Michaels. Set designers Tom Reta, James F. Truesdale, Randall Wilkins. Running time: 1 hour, 32 minutes.

* In general release throughout Southern California.