1996
PG-13
Twentieth Century Fox
1 h 32 m

1996
PG-13
Twentieth Century Fox
1 h 32 m

Summary Lt. Cmdr. Tom Dodge (Kelsey Grammer) is assigned as Captain to the USS Stingray, an old diesel driven submarine that has seen better days. With a crew that consists only of weird guys (and a gal), he's headed against the atomic powered USS Orlando, with the mission to destroy a dummy battleship.

Comedy

Directed By: David S. Ward

Written By: Hugh Wilson, Andrew Kurtzman, Eliot Wald

1996
PG-13
Twentieth Century Fox
1 h 32 m

1996
PG-13
Twentieth Century Fox
1 h 32 m

Down Periscope

Name: Down Periscope
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1996-03-01
Duration: 1 min 32 s
Rating: 39
Cast: Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holly, Rob Schneider, Harry Dean Stanton, Bruce Dern

Metascore Generally Unfavorable Based on 18 Critic Reviews

User Score Universal Acclaim Based on 8 User Ratings

8.1

My Score

Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Comedy

Directed By: David S. Ward

Written By: Hugh Wilson, Andrew Kurtzman, Eliot Wald

Where to Watch

Critic Reviews

View All

Metascore

Generally Unfavorable Based on 18 Critic Reviews

11% Positive
2 Reviews

56% Mixed
10 Reviews

33% Negative
6 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

View All

Metascore

Generally Unfavorable Based on 18 Critic Reviews

11% Positive
2 Reviews

56% Mixed
10 Reviews

33% Negative
6 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Chicago Sun-Times

Down Periscope plays so much like a sitcom it may even inspire one, especially since it has two of the key requirements: an easy-going father figure, and action largely confined to one set. It's about a troublesome Navy officer (Kelsey Grammer) who is finally given command of his own submarine, an ancient 1958 diesel model he refers to as the USS Rustoleum. [01 Mar 1996, p.33]

By Roger Ebert FULL REVIEW

Miami Herald

Occasionally, Down Periscope floats but it isn't particularly see-worthy. [01 Mar 1996, p.3C]

FULL REVIEW

Los Angeles Times

A routine, mildly funny service comedy. [01 Mar 1996, p.F6]

By Kevin Thomas FULL REVIEW

TV Guide Magazine

Exactly what you'd expect. This moderately amusing formula comedy is the screen debut of sitcom star Kelsey Grammer (Frasier), who plays a naval commander charged with piloting a WWII-era submarine in war games against the high-tech nuclear fleet.

FULL REVIEW

Empire

This is amiable enough and perhaps one shouldn’t expect anything more from the team that brought you Police Academy (writer Hugh Wilson) and Major League (director Ward). What really lets this down, though, is the uninspired plot and one-dimensional characters. While it’s true that this was never going to be a high-brow evening at the pictures, the air of familiarity it leaves behind proves to be a major disappointment.

FULL REVIEW

The New York Times

If Down Periscope, directed by David S. Ward, has the ingredients for a lively spoof of everything from Mutiny on the Bounty to Crimson Tide, they are slapped together so crudely that nothing gels, including any sense of a coherent ensemble. The tone of the acting, which is set by Mr. Grammer's blandly laid-back performance, is all wrong for a genre that demands over-the-top hamming.

By Stephen Holden FULL REVIEW

San Francisco Examiner

The closest this movie comes to delivering any titillation are a few open-shirted shots of Grammer that display major chest fur. You know you're bored when you have to devise a comparative body hair study to amuse yourself.

FULL REVIEW

See All 18 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

View All

User Score

Universal Acclaim Based on 8 User Ratings

8.1

88% Positive
7 Ratings

13% Mixed
1 Rating

0% Negative
0 Ratings

User Reviews

View All

User Score

Universal Acclaim Based on 8 User Ratings

8.1

88% Positive
7 Ratings

13% Mixed
1 Rating

0% Negative
0 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

View All

Production Company Sprockets Music, Twentieth Century Fox

Release Date Mar 1, 1996

Duration 1 h 32 m

Rating PG-13

Genres

Comedy

Tagline A rusty sub. A rebel commander. A renegade crew. When destiny called, they should have hung up.

Down Periscope

Where to Watch

Where to Watch

Top Cast

Kelsey Grammer

Tom Dodge

Lauren Holly

Emily

Rob Schneider

Marty Pascal

Harry Dean Stanton

Howard

Bruce Dern

Admiral Graham

William H. Macy

Captain Knox

Ken Hudson Campbell

Buckman

Toby Huss

Nitro

Duane Martin

Jackson

Jonathan Penner

Spots

Bradford Tatum

Stepanak

Harland Williams

Sonar

Rip Torn

Admiral Winslow

James Martin Jr.

Orlando Radioman

Jordan Marder

Orlando Ensign

Matt Landers

Orlando XO

Joseph Latimore

Orlando Sonarman

Patton Oswalt

Stingray Radioman

Joe Soto

Helmsman

John Shepherd

Young Sailor

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

User Reviews

User Reviews

User Reviews

User Reviews

Details

Details

Related Movies

Singin' in the Rain

Playtime

City Lights

The Rules of the Game

Pinocchio

Some Like It Hot

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

American Graffiti

Toy Story

The Shop Around the Corner

A Hard Day's Night

Nashville

The Philadelphia Story

Ratatouille

The Lady Eve

Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World

La Dolce Vita

Inside Out

Sideways

Meet Me in St. Louis

The Apartment

Chimes at Midnight

Related News

Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman