The Glass Bottom Boat (1966)

Review by All Movie Guide
Spy spoofs were a fad in the 1960s, so it was probably inevitable that top box-office draw Doris Day would eventually find herself starring in one. Fortunately, The Glass Bottom Boat is less concerned with spy movie conventions than with allowing Day and her co-stars the chance to engage in a great deal of slapstick while coming to terms with the twists and turns of the film's romantic plot. Boat is about as featherweight as a film can get, but as long as viewers are in the mood for something light, silly, and insubstantial, they're probably going to be entertained by this piece of fluff. Certainly Day is appealing and very much in her element; she knows this isn't exactly Hamlet, but she treats it with the right level of seriousness to make it all work. Rod Taylor isn't quite loose enough for the proceedings, but he works well with Day, and the supporting cast is very much in the right spirit, led by an incredibly game Paul Lynde, an amusingly oafish Dom DeLuise, and the always-dependable Alice Pearce. Director Frank Tashlin has filled the screen with his favorite bright colors and gets to give rein to his penchant for machine-oriented gags. Tashlin's cartoony approach gets to be a bit much occasionally, but it's fun to see a director enjoying himself as much as Tashlin. A brainless little bubble, The Glass Bottom Boat floats along quite enjoyably, if aimlessly. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide