Overrated and overhyped

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

After accidentally causing their ship to sink "Orville Jackson" (Bob Hope) and his buddy "Jeff Peters" (Bing Crosby) find themselves drifting in the middle of the ocean on a small raft with no food or water. Fortunately, they discover land in the distance and eventually manage to make their way to shore. Not long afterward they come across a camel and ride on it through the desert to a nearby city. At that point Jeff sells Orville to a slave trader and after finding out that he is being tortured decides to rescue him. It's at this time that Jeff discovers that nothing could be further from the truth as Orville is actually having a great time and is soon to marry "Princess Shalmar" (Dorothy Lamour). Unfortunately, a powerful warlord named "Mullay Kasim" (Anthony Quinn) also has his eyes set on Princess Shalmar and he has no intention of allowing anybody to marry her. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a nice little comedy which complements the "Road Series" rather well. Even though they play different characters in each film I especially liked the continuing dynamics and the between the three main characters who seem to be having a good time in the process. In any case, although it is clearly dated and as a result may not be a top-of-the-line film these days, I still found it somewhat enjoyable and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

Two carefree castaways on a desert shore find an Arabian Nights city, where they compete for the luscious Princess Shalmar.Bosley Crowther liked it: "Let us be thankful that Paramount is still blessed with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, and that it has set its cameras to tailing these two irrepressible wags on another fantastic excursion, Road to Morocco, which came to the Paramount yesterday. For the screen, under present circumstances, can hold no more diverting lure than the prospect of Hope and Crosby ambling, as they have done before, through an utterly slaphappy picture, picking up Dorothy Lamour along the way and tossing acid wisecracks at each other without a thought for reason or sense...The short of it is that Road to Morocco is a daffy, laugh-drafting film. And you'll certainly agree with the camel which, at one point, offers the gratuitous remark, "This is the screwiest picture I was ever in." The camel remark is pretty funny, and the movie as a whole is quite a treat. I can't say I'm a big Bob Hope fan, but I love Bing Crosby, and together they make quite a pair. This isn't laugh-out-loud funny but it has a very vaudeville-ish sense to it, where the routines are so hackneyed and cliché, but you can't help but appreciate them.

Another of my all time favourite films, I must have seen it more than umpteen times over the decades. The 3rd of the 7 Road movies, and imho the best with a lovely romantic musical comedy adventure atmosphere with witty dialogue that by now I know by heart, good songs, and a fine production all round. What a classic! Story has 2 drifting Americans Crosby & Hope at loose ends in a strange country (buster) who get ravelled up with matrimonial astrological mishaps and Lamour, together with some Arab intrigues, but muddle through it all joyously and zanily. On the way we also meet spitting and talking camels, a noisy ghost, nodding statues, a monkeys uncle, drive-in waitresses hurling burgers out into the desert, and a myriad of slapstick characters. Favourite bits (from so many): Crosby selling Hope to a life of slavery – they took any old junk; Hope's imperiousness to all when elevated to temporary royalty – especially to the raffiest of riffs; Crosby crooning Moonlight Becomes You to Lamour; love-mad Quinn looking for the sons of cockroaches stealing his bride; the celebratory scenes in the tribal tent.Did any of that make sense to you? It's a film you really have to see to appreciate; comments about it cannot do it adequate justice. Maybe not sidesplitting humour and with nothing really offensive - although I'm sure some serious people would point at racial stereotyping and fun poked at the shop keeper with the speech impediment - but still a lovely little film, made with the sole aim of making money by making ordinary people happy.This type of film made me very happy when little, young and mature, sadly (or thankfully) people grow up faster harder and more demanding these days. But otoh I still live in hope that younger generations including my daughter will be able to sometimes remember there are always simpler nicer things they could be watching when they're being bombarded by the routine cynical filth passing as normal cinema in todays wonderful world.

Typical Hope and Crosby nonsense. More of a "big budget home movie" than anything else, but funny and enjoyable anyhow.By the Time "Morocco" was created, the Road Pictures had been embraced and enjoyed and the formula was set in stone: An exotic locale, Dorothy Lamour, a couple of songs and go easy on the script because Bob and Bing are gonna "jab-lib" their way through it regardless. The result here is a slick and entertaining yarn about absolutely nothing. Don't let the current climate of "Islam/Arab/Terrorism" mindset disturb you about the on screen antics because this was filmed in a different era and has nothing to do with the goings on in our world today.Bing gets a chance to croon the very lovely Moonlight Becomes You, which to this day is still one of the most touching love songs ever written; Bob gets to do his "screen persona schtick" and it is hilarious; Dorothy has a forgettable song and a funny reprise of Moonlight Becomes You, sung in the desert accompanied by the boys and it is extremely funny. Anthony Quinn (who was a Road Picture Regular) returns in a typical villain role in which he does his best.A couple of notes. Early in the picture Bob and Bing get involved with a camel who licks them. At the end of this routine as they prepare to ride away on the beast it spits at Bob. This was NOT in the script. The camel ad-libbed and the reactions of both Hope and Crosby are genuine. The director liked the take so much he used it in the final cut. Secondly, it took forever for the boys to sing the theme song, The Road to Morocco. It seems that every time they got to the lyric " . . . like Webster's Dictionary we're Morocco bound. . . " they'd break up over that lyric and would have to re-shoot the song.It's a breezy, light-weight, fun evening with Der Bingle and Old Slope Nose. Make yourself a bowl of popcorn, grab a large soda and laugh away for 82 minutes. It'll do you good!