Review of Stripes (1981) by . S — 27 Aug 2011

This is vintage Bill Murray, vintage Ivan Reitman, and a true ocmedy classic. This irreverent and hilarious satirical farce tells the story of John Winger- an unambitious loser who, after losing his job, apartment, car, and girlfriend, decides to see if his life will improve if he joins the army. So he does, along with his best friend Russell Ziskey (whom he forces to go with him)- a guy who'd be more comfortable reading a book or just hanging out than do the things that military men do.They get put into a platoon of other lovable misfits, and, through some sort of way, actually managed to make something of themselves.

This is a fun, entertaining and high quality slob comedy. It's low brow, but smart. It als ohas a hell of a cast. Murray takes the kead, and joinging him are Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, John Candy, John Larroquette, Judge Reinhold, and, P.J. Soles and Sean Young as two foxy MPs who turn a blind eye to the antics of the misfits.

Honestly, I'm actually very shocked that it wasn't until today (8/28/11) that I finally watched this movie. Somehow I managed to go this long without actually having seen it. I can't believe what I was missing, and it's amazing how many films have taken some influence from this one. It's all very lighthearted, and the real army unfortunately isn't really like the way they portray it to be, but damn, this is still a goofy, wonderful, and terrific film.