Stripes (1981) Columbia Pictures/Comedy RT: 106 minutes Rated R (language, nudity, sexual humor, drug use) Director: Ivan Reitman Screenplay: Len Blum, Harold Ramis and Dan Goldberg Music: Elmer Bernstein Cinematography: Bill Butler Release date: June 26, 1981 (US) Cast: Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P.J. Soles, Sean Young, John Candy, John Larroquette, John Voldstadt, John Diehl, Judge Reinhold, Conrad Dunn, Antone Pagan, Glenn-Michael Jones, Lance DeGault, Robert J. Wilke, Dave Thomas, Joe Flaherty, Roberta Leighton, Timothy Busfield, Bill Paxton, Fran Ryan. Box Office: $85.3M (US)
Rating: ****
Now we’re talking about a comedy classic! Stripes does for the US Army what Animal House does for college and Caddyshack does for the country club scene. It makes it a laugh riot by setting a “snobs vs. slobs” story in a well-respected American institution.
Stripes is one of the first R-rated comedies (after Stir Crazy, Blazing Saddles and History of the World: Part I) I was allowed to see at the movies. It took more than three months, but I finally convinced my father I was mature enough to see it. At 13, I felt as though I achieved a great victory and it tasted super-sweet. It’s one hell of a funny movie too.
John Winger (Murray, SNL) just can’t get it together. In the course of a day, he loses his job as a cab driver, his car gets repossessed and his girlfriend leaves him. He’s out of shape and his life is going absolutely nowhere. He decides to join the Army. He convinces his best friend Russell Ziskey (Ramis, SCTV) to enlist with him.
The guys head off to basic training where John immediately runs afoul of Sgt. Hulka (Oates, The Wild Bunch), the no-nonsense drill instructor assigned to whip the new recruits into shapes. It’s the usual bunch of misfits and losers like good-natured oaf “Ox” (Candy, SCTV), quick-temped nutjob “Psycho” (Dunn, Death Warrant), dimwitted Cruiser (Diehl, D.C. Cab) and goofy drug addict Elmo (Reinhold, Fast Times at Ridgemont High).
Hulka definitely has his work cut out for him with this bunch of yo-yos and a commanding officer, Captain Stillman (Larroquette, Night Court), who’s a complete buffoon trying to look good in front of his superiors. Naturally, John is the main troublemaker in his platoon. Hulka makes no attempt to conceal his contempt for this disrespectful punk. The only bright side to joining the Army is that he and Russell hook up with a pair of hot MPs, Stella (Soles, Rock ‘n’ Roll High School) and Louise (Young, Blade Runner).
A hilarious set of circumstances force the cadets to complete basic training on their own (with the help of a rousing speech by John) and they so impress the general (Wilke, High Noon) that he immediately sends them to Italy for a special project. That would be the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle, a highly-advanced, sophisticated and very expensive new weapon designed for warfare. Naturally, John talks Russell into taking it out for a spin all the way to West Germany where their girlfriends are presently stationed. The action begins when Stillman leads an ill-fated mission to retrieve his weapon. When he blows it and gets everybody captured in Czechoslovakia, John and Russell have to launch a rescue mission of their own.
Stripes is pure 80s comedy fun. I have nothing bad to say about it. There was a time when Murray was one of the funniest people in the business with classic comedies like Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, Scrooged and Groundhog Day to his credit. I also like him in the criminally overlooked Quick Change. He is the heart and soul of Stripes. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he has the help of a great supporting cast who know when to stand back and let the star do his thing. He has great chemistry with the late Ramis who would go on to direct great comedies like National Lampoon’s Vacation, Groundhog Day and Analyze This.
The tough and hard-bitten Oates, in one of his last roles, shows he has a sense of humor by goofing on his own crusty image. In his first significant film role, the late Candy shows he has some serious comedy chops. Dunn is a true stand-out as unhinged Psycho, a fellow who really doesn’t like being touched. The scene where he introduces himself to his fellow recruits is classic right down to Hulka saying, “Lighten up, Francis.”
What’s great about Stripes is that it’s consistently funny. I can’t think of a single scene that doesn’t work. It comes out of the gate strong with Murray taking a fussy elderly passenger (Ryan, Private School) for a wild cab ride. It doesn’t let up for a moment with one hilarious bit after another. Who doesn’t crack up at the mud wrestling scene? Then there’s that drill display at the graduation ceremony. Come on, say it with me…. “That’s the fact, Jack!” The whole movie is great! It’s the perfect remedy for the blues brought on by the sorry state of today’s movie comedies.
Director Ivan Reitman (Meatballs) struck gold with Stripes. He took a simple premise and mined it for all great comic possibilities. To run the risk of sounding like a broken record (as I must surely do), this is the kind of high-quality comedy flick that Hollywood should be making. Comedies like Stripes are worth (a) leaving the house for and (b) the price of admission. My greatest fear is that some studio genius might get it in his head to remake it and we’ll have to endure Seth Rogen and James Franco joining the Army. This is one of many movies that should NOT be touched under any circumstances. It’s perfect as is. It’s Bill Murray’s movie. The script was written with him in mind and wouldn’t work with any other actor regardless of talent.
That being said, I would like to add that Reitman introduces a bit of action in the third act which, under other circumstances, would reek of desperation. The director handles it deftly, striking the right balance between the comedic and action-oriented by turning the bad guys (the Czech army) into cartoonish stereotypes (bumbling Commies). It’s the 80s, what do you expect?
What I find interesting about Stripes and the other R-rated comedies of the time is how tame they are compared to today’s comedies which aim to shock more than amuse. The f-word is used about five or six times in Stripes whereas it might be used about 600 times in any given Judd Apatow comedy. If it wasn’t for the nudity (full frontal in one scene), Stripes might get away with a PG-13 today. This movie proves that non-stop vulgarity and profanity does NOT a comedy make. It’s legitimately funny without trying to push the envelope. When it comes to comedy, I’m pretty much old school and a movie as great as Stripes illustrates why.
