Les bleus

An Army Police Academy. It's good, an 80's comedy.

Stripes is a fun movie along the same stylings of Caddyshack and Ghostbusters. It doesn't quite live up to those for me but if you're a fan of these 80s comedies then this is likely going to be a fun time for you.

It's worth checking out just for Murray, Ramis and Candy alone.

Stripes is a great movie with a well written storyline and a brilliant comedic cast. It's simply a fun comedy and it dosen't need to, nor does it want to, be looked at beyond that, it's very funny and there are a ton of scenes where you can tell the cast was improvising and having fun together. It's definitely much longer than it needs to be, running for nearly two hours, I found that unnecessary and there were definitely several parts that could have been trimmed to be make this a more suitable ninety minutes, that's as long as I feel a movie like this should be. Bill Murray shines in the lead role, this is very early in his career but it is clearly evident that he already had the confidence and charisma to play the main character and was very capable of holding the whole movie. It's not a flawless film, but Stripes is very enjoyable to watch and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good comedy.

A pair of slackers join the US Army with the hopes of getting their act together.

Best Performance: Bill Murray

Three giants of American comedy Bill Murray, John Candy and Harrold Ramis star in this often funny, occasionally hilarious tale of misfits joining the army. This is along the lines of Police Academy in plot but slightly less zany in delivery due to the deadpan delivery of Rammis and particularly Murry who plays the ultimate slacker.

It has to be said there are some comedy misfires in here and the ending is maybe a bit much, but overall this is a good little comedy. Murray is of course excellent as is most of the supporting cast, John Candy is maybe a little underused as Ox. Also the film is definitely of it's time (the cold war still in full swing, boo ruskies and reds etc) but that wont spoil your enjoyment.

7/10 - Not up there with Murray and Ramis best (Groundhog Day and Ghostbusters) but worth a watch on cable or rental.

Bill Murray and Harold Ramis join the army and get involved in a plethora of shenanigans.

A weak story is saved by the great performances of Murray, Ramis, John Candy, Warren Oats and John Larroquette, who are all on madcap top form.

There are great scenes before enlistment and during basic training. Murray and Ramis are absolutely brilliant in the scene where they sign up. They don't even have to say much more than a few words, or look at each other a certain way, and it's hilarious. Also, the sequence where John Larroquette sees his platoon for the first time as they charge, screaming through the muddy assault course, is fantastic.

The film works well in the first two acts, but unfortunately, when the focus shifts from basic training to the final sequence, it goes downhill quickly. I think all the comedic talent is wasted on a sequence that does not showcase it properly.

The humour itself is a product of its time and not something that would see the light of day in the modern age. It is heavy on sexism, there is some racial stereotyping and one character with a learning disorder gets targeted on more than one occasion.

This is a classic example of irreverent 1980s humour, from the Animal House-inspired misfit protagonists to the Second City alumni cast. All is tinged with a hint of Cold War propaganda.

I loved it as a child in the '80s, and it holds up better than other similar films of that era (Caddyshack, Police Academy) on a rewatch in 2020. I think you have to be a fan of Murray, Ramis and Candy and the humour of the time to fully appreciate it.