THE BOATNIKS (1970) *1/2 Another fine excuse for Phil Silvers to stand around in a sailor suit. Norman Fell makes snide remarks, but not snide enough. Vito Scotti gets to be a character named Pepe Galindo. Joe E. Ross' face as he crashes into the dock yet once again. Stefanie Powers generates a sense of something somewhat related to elegance from beneath a hat dripping yellow paint, and while having to pretend to find something interesting about Robert Morse. There's not really much more to it than that. If you're just looking for something vaguely nautical, there are a few occasions where Coast Guard guys yell things like "Avast the port sails!," and "Squall amongst the shippe!" and "Fauxhaul the spelt slimpt!" and stuff like that, but even such phrases enjoy limited entertainment value, in and of themselves. The Mexican caricatures are fairly brutal, but the characters are among the film's most appealing, if you allow yourself to think on it. It's a cool title, anyway, invoking beatniks as if they had anything to do with it. The boatniks, oh the good and gentle boatniks...
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