Stripes (1981)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Ivan Reitman

Writers:

Len Blum (writer) &
Daniel Goldberg (writer) ...

Release Date:

26 June 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | War

Tagline:

The story of a man who wanted to keep the world safe for democracy...and meet girls

Plot:

Two friends who are dissatisfied with their jobs decide to join the army for a bit of fun.

Plot Keywords:

Czechoslovakia | Army | Basic Training | Graduation | Sergeant

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 13	5:30 PM	AMC
Tue. July 21	8:00 PM	AMC

Cast

Bill Murray	...	John Winger
Harold Ramis	...	Russell Ziskey
Warren Oates	...	Sgt. Hulka
P.J. Soles	...	MP Stella Hansen
Sean Young	...	MP Louise Cooper
John Candy	...	Pvt. Dewey 'Ox' Oxberger
John Larroquette	...	Capt. Stillman
John Voldstad	...	Cpl. Tyson - Stillman's Aide
John Diehl	...	Pvt. 'Cruiser'
Lance LeGault	...	Col. Glass
Roberta Leighton	...	Anita
Conrad Dunn	...	Pvt. Francis 'Psycho' Soyer
Judge Reinhold	...	Pvt. Elmo Blum
Antone Pagan	...	Hector
Glenn-Michael Jones	...	Leon

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality/nudity, language and some drug use. (extended edition)

Runtime:

106 min | USA:126 min (extended version) | Spain:117 min (extended version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian | Polish

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:PG (Manitoba) (original rating) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating) | Finland:K-12 (cut) (1981) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (extended version) (2005) | Canada:14A (Manitoba/Ontario) (extended version) (2005) | Spain:13 | Finland:K-11 (uncut) (2005) | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | Norway:16 (1981) | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Argentina:Atp | Peru:14

Filming Locations:

Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

According to John Larroquette, he was drunk in many of his scenes.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Winger's platoon arrives at the graduation, the music has stopped, yet the band conductor's baton continues to move for several seconds.

Quotes:

[after stumbling on the sidewalk]
Captain Stillman: Have that removed.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "I Love the '80s" (2002)

Soundtrack:

RUBBERBAND MAN

Classic Bill Murray Comedy

This film is one of the best comedies of the 1980s, along with "Ghostbusters," "Caddyshack" and "Tootsie." If you recognize that all of those also included Bill Murray, you win the gold prize. Take those with the vastly underrated "What About Bob" and "Groundhog Day" from the early '90s and you have a collection of perhaps the best comedies ever made, and all starring Bill Murray.

Here we have Bill in that perennial favorite, the military screwball comedy.

Who screws up? Well, pretty much everybody, naturally, which gives Murray and Harold Ramis enough elbow room to do their schticks. One of the nice things about this movie is that it includes elements of drama, romance, and farce all jumbled up into a big pretzel that keeps the mood going until the film's final scenes.

Warren Oates is masterful, giving the second-best '80s performance of a sergeant (after Lee Ermey in Kubrick's later Vietnam film "Full Metal Jacket," which perhaps coincidentally is structurally very similar to this film). He manages to play it straight (mostly) while everyone else chews the scenery. His "Lighten up, Francis" is among the enduring lines of this film, along with Murray's "That's the fact, Jack." Included is a hilarious send-up of the stereotypes of classic war movies (you have the gullible farm boy, the overcompensating scrawny tough guy, the big, funny fat guy etc.), along with P.J. Soles and Sean Young of all people as the female romantic leads. John Candy as "Ox" is at his absolutely most hysterical, this may be his best role.

They don't make them like this anymore. This film stretches the "Slacker" mentality to the limit, as Murray and Ramis send up all other movie characters that take themselves way too seriously. However, for those who think that life imitates art, compare the plot of the second half of the film - bumbling commander can't read a map and leads his troops into enemy territory, heroic rescue, then undeserved media fame for the people rescued - with the Kelly Lynch saga from the 2003 Gulf War and you will see a lot of parallels.

Highly recommended. Put your feet up and prepare to see Bill Murray take on the mighty Czechs with gusto!