This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Most folks who have served in the military should enjoy this film. But for certain parts and embellishment or extension of others, it could be a great comedy. The gratuitous Hollywood sex scenes don't add to the comedy, but detract from it. I suspect that the scenes of bikini- clad women mud-wrestling would be a turn-off for many people. I'm aware of the generational and specific cultural appeal this film seemed to be designed to reach. Still, it's too bad that the filmmakers couldn't see the great possibility for a dynamite film around this plot – sans the detracting sex element. It had potential to be a very funny comedy and spoof of the military and satire of the Cold War period. The main male stars of "Stripes" are hilarious in their roles. Bill Murray is John, Harold Ramis is Russell, Warren Oates is Sgt. Hulka and John Larrouquette is Capt. Stillman. John Candy is wasted in the role of Ox. Three superb scenarios make this movie worth viewing by adults. The drill routine of the platoon for the formal military review is outstanding. The misadventure of Capt. Stillman leading some of the platoon into Soviet Czechoslovakia is hilarious, with the subsequent rescue effort by John and Russell in the secret urban assault vehicle. And the ending scene is very funny with results of the escapade for the individuals as the credits role. The plot of "Stripes" could have been developed into a great film. Instead, it provides a few hilarious sketches amidst the humdrum riffraff of sexploitation.

This film was originally conceived as a vehicle for Cheech & Chong. Even a nine-minute sequence was filmed in which "John and Russell" characters take LSD and accidentally end up on a mission to fight rebels in the Colombian jungle. Columbia Pictures thought it was the best scene in the film but Ivan Reitman deleted it because he felt that it did not fit the film's tone. Plus Murray & Ramis are no Cheech & Chong and the drug humor would have been more appropriate with Cheech & Chong. And according to the DVD special features, Ivan Reitman has also stated that the reason this fell through was because their manager insisted (without the pair's knowledge) on a 25% share of Reitman's next five films, which he wasn't willing to give up or do. The script was then rewritten for Bill Murray and Harold Ramis, and most of the "stoner" humor was shifted to the "Elmo" character played by Judge Reinhold.Part of a mini-cycle of Hollywood movies made during the early 1980s centering around military cadet training. The pictures include: Private Benjamin (1980), Up the Academy (1980), Taps (1981), An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), The Lords of Discipline (1983), Heartbreak Ridge (1986) and Full Metal Jacket (1987), Biloxi Blues (1988)and Cadence (1990).I truly believe this film influenced An Officer and a Gentleman in many respects. The story of two "loser" friends in basic training, the two woman they fall in love with, the rebel cadet versus the tough sergeant. All there. While Stripes is stupid/silly comedy, Officer is way more serious. And while Murray and Ramis are friends before they join, Gere and Keith becomes buddies once they meet inside. Soles and Young in Stripes are M.P's, Winger and Blount are local girls trying to snag an officer. Plus I also see Hollywood knew a good thing when they saw it because Stripes made unexpected millions , so Hollywood had Taylor Hackford make a real serious "Stripes" per say and make money. The gamble paid off big time as Officer and a Gentleman was the blockbuster that summer of 1982.It also must of had a major influence at least in one scene to Stanley Kubrick as he used the same situation scene in the latrine in his own military film , Full Metal Jacket (1987) According to Ivan Reitman in the DVD Commentary, Columbia Pictures wanted to cut out the scene where Sgt. Hulka and John Winger have a confrontation in the latrine. They felt the scene was 'too serious'. But Reitman insisted that it be left in to truly establish Sgt. Hulka's strength and authority. Kubrick used that same situation but to a more deadlier effect. I also want to say that what while it was great to see Murray and Ramis with director Reitman, pre-Ghostbusters, it would have been awesome to have had Dan Aykroyd in there also. He could have easily done the John Larroquette role or the John Diehl one. and to some extent the John Candy role. maybe Aykroyd was busy filming with Spielberg his Indiana Jones cameo, or just didn't ,understandably, want to play third banana to Murray and Ramis. Either way Larroquette, Diehl and especially Candy did a great job in their respective roles. I like that Candy even invoked Curly of the Three Stooges in the mud wrestling scene, doing the same mannerisms of Curly Howard when Curly would get upset and mad.

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

To me I feel that "Stripes" reminds me a lot like the classic Army comedy "Private Benjamin" with Bill Murray taking the place of Goldie Hawn with only a few distinctive differences. Hawn didn't really know very much about the Army or the many regiments and training you have to go through to make it in the Army. While Bill Murray's Pvt. John Winger seems to know a lot about the Army protocols and the many ways he could outsmart and outwit his superiors. To me, his sardonic humour is played quite effectively and might be one of the reasons why this movie is really good. Back in 1981, Illinois native Bill Murray was pretty much in his third year gracing the silver screen with witty charm, cynical humour and manipulative tactics to outsmart practically anyone crossing his path. After donning his craft on sketch comedies like "Saturday Night Live" and the Canadian equivalent "SCTV", Murray has churned up a string full of off-the-wall comedies like "Meatballs", 'Caddieshack" and "Stripes' being his third one shows that his flair for slapstick comedy is just a natural thing for him. Why spoil a good thing? Right?The opening scenes features Winger who after a few hours loses his job as a cab driver, his girlfriend dumps him and a basketball ricochets through his window. Feeling like there's nowhere to turn to, he enlists in the Army. He also tries to persuade his brilliant friend Russell Ziskey (Harold Ramis) who's an English teacher to foreign students. The duo collaborates and writes their own set of Army protocols much to the chagrin of the hard-nosed Sgt. Hulka (Warren Oates who hasn't acted in while due to poor health). Murray seems to be permanently liberal in points of view towards the people surrounding him, both superior and inferior to him. He's not afraid to speak his mind out about you, even if it's not very flattering. When Hulka get shot, Winger arbitrarily steps up to the plate and commands the other recruits and these are where the funny bits of the movie comes to effect. Unfortunately, like "Private Benjamin", "Stripes" gets lost out of focus near the middle of the film. In "Private Benjamin", the film lost its charm once the feminist message comes across while they were in Europe. In "Stripes" the film gets bogged down one he goes on a mission in Europe. If they would've stuck to the slapstick elements it was intended for, the movie would've been much better. Winger's initiative was to operate on the very first mechanized armoured vehicle, before it gets underway, Winger and Ziskey hijack the RV and goes behind the Iron Curtain and they become lustful towards two female MP's (Sean Young and P.J. Soles). If the focus was on these four characters, it would have worked out in the long run. Instead it concentrates on the ridiculous mud wrestling scenes and the RV hijacking. The final product becomes deplorably infantile and takes away the intrigue that both Murray and Ramis carry throughout the film as likable obnoxious characters. I liked it when Pvt. Winger verbally lashes down at the recruits and belittles their background upbringings.The late John Candy a long-time alum from "SCTV" fame comes here on his own as Pvt. Dewey Oxberger and he's more than just a friendly heavy- set guy, he's an ally of Winger's and his comedic wit is equally effective and rivals nice with Murray's.