Review of Stripes (1981) by Pauline Kael for The New Yorker — 13 Mar 1986
Bill Murray is the star of this pleasant 1981 comedy, but the late-60s values he incarnates (skepticism, spontaneity, antiauthoritarianism) are seriously out of step with the values of director Ivan Reitman, who prefers conformity, loyalty, and even something a little like patriotism.
As a result the second banana of this service comedy, the affable Harold Ramis, becomes its genuine dramatic center: his struggles to keep his buddy Bill in line have a strange urgency and poignance.
You can read the full review where it was originally posted online.
This review of Stripes (1981) was written by Pauline Kael and published by The New Yorker on 13 Mar 1986.
Stripes has generally received positive reviews.
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