[The film] is to most movies what the Folies-Bergere was to the theater, a celebration of spectacle, even when it exists only for its own sake.

Obviously, it isn't the intellectual content that's meant to carry the picture, but even Fellini's elaborate visuals seem timid and uninspired this time around.

During two hours and 10 minutes of consummate Fellini cinema, one has been taken for a ride.

In the end, 'And the Ship Sails On' is a cruise to nowhere - diverting, but a bit dull.