Hail the Conquering Hero
Director: Preston Sturges
Year Released: 1944
Rating: 2.5
The perpetually awe-struck Eddie Bracken is mistaken for a war hero when he returns to his home town and voted to become town mayor, although unbeknownst to everyone, he never served. The main point about the public-at-large giving praise to frauds stings a lot (and is true), but this really is - and here I am in heresy mode again - a one-joke, super contrived movie, with Bracken insisting he's a fake and everyone responding that he isn't (to which Bracken insists louder and they respond with more praise) - eventually he tells the truth, and the town falls in love with him anyway (and, naturally, the girl). Bracken's antics and expressions are an acquired taste - I prefer the no-nonsense bravado of the William Demarest character.
