Stripes (1981)

[baumer]

Discuss

[DAR]

The basic training sequences of this film are as funny as anything put on film.  But the last 30-45 minutes just really fall off. 

 

First half A+

Second half C-

 

B

[baumer]

The one film I know line for line, even more than JAWS.

 

9/10

[Fancyarcher]

In essence Stripes is a very dumb movie. A film about two not so bright guys joining the army is a stupid idea to begin with, but Stripes executes the idea somewhat "brilliantly". Stripes is as Roger Ebert put it, a "anarchic slob movie".

 

The best comedies are the ones where the characters are varied and interesting. The best comedies also don't try to rely heavily on actors who like to scream for humor. Stripes succeeds in this regard. The characters are mostly a bunch of misfits, losers, people with serious problems. Stripes is not exactly realistic, but it doesn't need to be.

 

The actors and their comedy is delivered brilliant. Almost none of them overact. The only actor in the film who is really overacting is Warren Oates, and he's playing an army sergeant, so it's somewhat understandable. Oates (in one of his final roles) is hilarious in the role. He plays the stereotypical army sergeant, and the way he treats recruits is so absurd (though tame by actually army standards), it's almost ridiculously awesome. John Candy plays a fatman (obviously) who joined the army because he wanted to lose weight. The fat jokes with his character are few and far between, and like all of his performances John Candy throws himself into the role. He's just too darn likeable to despise. Harold Ramis plays a character that feels like a pre less smarter version of Egon Spengler. He knows his best bud is an idiot, but he still sticks around with him. But what really pulls Stripes together its star Bill Murray. Bill Murray plays John Winger as a one liner, loser, idiot. What is interesting about Bill Murray compared to other comedic actors, is that he nuanced. He does not go over the top (like Jim Carrey or Robin Williams), and instead plays the role like a "cool idiot". The pairing between him and Ramis is especially hilarious. 

The final act and ending could be considered kinda lame, but I still enjoyed the film as a whole.

 

Stripes was actually intended as a vehicle for Cheech and Chong believe it or not, and it's probably best that they didn't make the movie, it would have likely have had too much "stoner comedy".

 

8 / 10

Edited January 17, 2014 by Fancyarcher

[baumer]

Yep, on the SE, they showed this entire subplot of Winger and Ziskey getting involved in a drug plot.  It had an entirely different feel to the movie and they wisely scrapped it.