Stripes (1981)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Strong and Moving!

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

The truly bittiest of bit parts, he appears for about a second as a soldier in a TV ad during the movie.It was originally intended as a Cheech & Chong movie, which wouldve been a lot funnier.As it is, some big comedy names appear here, some for the first time. Harold Ramis (writer of Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters and Stripes. Plays Egon in Ghostbusters) Bill Murray (you all know Bill Murray, right?) Warren Oates (plays the sergeant, most famous for beating Officer Murtaugh's "I'm too old for this sh*t" catchphrase by 6 years) Sean Young (Rachael in Bladerunner) John Candy (Blues Brothers, SNL, Spaceballs, Home Alone, Cool Runnings) John Larroquette (The librarians, night court, boston legal, the 10th kingdom, the John Larroquette show (funnily enough)) Judge Reinhold (Beverly Hills Cop) Antone Pagán (another bit part actor, but he gets bit parts in some big movies: enter the dragon, taxi driver, Saturday night fever, the warriors, dirty dancing, fatal attraction, gladiator) A very silly movie and quite possibly the 2nd unfunniest movie I've ever seen bill murray in (the first is the dreadful 'lost in translation')

It's nice to see some of the casts of Saturday Night Live and SCTV come together on film. Here, Bill Murray meets John Candy, and it's absolute hilarity at the expense of the army, obviously made on the basis of the success of "Private Benjamin", but changing genders as it heads back into comic territory that has tickled audiences going back way before Abbott and Costello turned the military upside down in "Buck Privates". Here, Murray and old pal Harold Ramos enter the military and fond themselves getting away with all sorts of pranks, with Candy and Judge Reinhold among the others they encounter in an attempt at becoming soldiers that seems to be a major implausibility. This farce isn't reflective of army life in any way, shape or form, just a scathing commentary on the silliness of the seriousness of it all. Arrogant non-commissioned officers, serious privates and imperious officers are given scathing portrayals, showing the real life NCO's, privates and commissioned officers how ridiculous they look with that scowling look and stuck up attitude that under some circumstances leads to rebellion. A young John Laroquette spoofs that image as the new captain on the training base who has secrets that isn't becoming of an officer.Emulating Sergeant Carter from "Gomer Pyle U.S.M.D.", Warren Oates plays the typical screaming and sneering drill sergeant who meets his match in the sassy Murray. P.J. Soles and Sean Young play two female m.p.'s who are lacking in discipline every time they encounter Murray and Ramis, especially when Murray gets frisky with an ice cream scoop. Forget about any sense of reality with their characters, thrown in along with some innocent T&A for sexy thrills. Having already explored slobs vs. the preppy's and slobs vs. the snobs, this is the slobs vs. humorless authority, making along with "Animal House" and "Caddyshack" a trio of slob comedies that started a new genre of comedy and one that is still ripped off today.

Three years before they threw on their proton packs and kept the New York streets safe from paranormal in Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, Bill Murray and co-writer, co-star, Harold Ramis teamed together for this spoof of life in the Army that gave Murray and Ramis one of their first starring film roles, in a film originally intended by Reitman for Cheech and Chong. The plot like many comedies of it's era and since, is very simple. Murray plays a New York cabbie down on his luck, who has had enough of dealing with annoying customers like a lady he is driving to the airport one morning, and he decides to quit his job. Afterwards his car is repossessed, and his girlfriend realizes he is headed nowhere in life and he loses her and his apartment in the process. Ramis is his best friend an unsuccessful teacher teaching English as a second language. Needing direction in life, they see an advertisement for the U.S. Army on television, Murray wants to go all in for it and enlist in order to get into shape and have some stability while Ramis is more hesitant. Eventually Murray talks him into enlisting, and after a visit with a recruiter they are sent off to basic training. Fellow recruits consist of slobs, like John Candy who has joined the Army to lose weight and get into shape, a stoner played by Judge Reinhold, a dim-witted idiot played by John Diehl, and a crazed recruit played by Conrad Dunn who is obsessed with killing people. In charge of all of them is the tough as nails Sgt. Hulka (legendary character actor Warren Oates, in one of his last film roles, he died the year after this film was released), and their commanding officer is the incompetent Captain Stillman played by John Laroquette. The first half of the film mostly deals with Murray's rebellious behavior and attitude conflicting with Oates' no-nonsense by the book way of doing things, and there are a lot of laughs between those two, as well as with Ramis and the other recruits. There are some laugh out loud moments and quotable lines in the first hour alone. The second half consists of Oates' getting injured in an explosion, leaving the platoon to train themselves, Murray and Ramis falling in love with two single, attractive MP Officers played by PJ Soles and Sean Young, and consists of the platoon going to Italy to be in charge of an urban assault vehicle and getting captured by Russians in the process. The second half has it's moments and the scene at the graduation parade is classic, but after that Stripes starts to fizzle and goes downhill. It seems that Reitman just somehow forgot after the parade sequence that he was making an irreverent comedy and then turns the movie into a routine military, action picture. Some movies can balance those elements together nicely, but Stripes fails to balance both elements together at the same time during those last 30 minutes leaving it rather boring up until the finale which is redeemed by a few big laughs. If Reitman had been able to focus on the film being a comedy the whole time, and didn't focus any attention on the last half being an action picture, the film would easily be a flawless, comedy masterpiece. As a result the movie is worth seeing for at least the first hour alone. That hour has some truly classic comedy moments that still entertain all these years later. It's just a shame the last act couldn't have been as strong. Still Stripes still holds up better in my personal opinion than Caddyshack does, and because of the strength of the first hour, and fine comedic performances by everyone in the cast, this is definitely one 80's comedy classic no to be missed. Rest assured you will laugh and get a kick out of it, maybe more in certain parts than others, but there are definitely laughs and enjoyment to be found here. Parents be advised: There is lots of nudity, swearing, drugs and irreverent humor in this film the whole way through. This is not one for the kids, even though teenagers will probably love it for the edgy, goofy humor. If you want to show this to your teen, the movie has played on television a lot over the years so find a TV edited version, or watch this with a Clearplay machine.

For me, "Stripes" is one of the great '80s comedies; mostly because it's been funny over the years, and still holds up today. It's over-stuffed with a terrific cast, beautiful women and the comedic stylings of Harold Ramis (man, that guy could write 'em). There are some John Candy lines I still quote every now and then, and I get a kick out of watching Ramis try to keep it together in his scenes with Bill Murray. And speaking of Murray, he is plying his smartass likability to the nth degree here. The whole movie brims with it.And even though the movie completely switches gears into wacky misadventure during the second half, that first half is comedy gold. Also, Sean Young keeps getting more and more gorgeous as the movie progresses, so it all evens out.8/10