Bill Murray Shines In Brilliant, If Uneven Comedy...

Rating: Null/10 (19 August 2003)

STRIPES, the best service comedy of the 80's, was released during Bill Murray's halcyon career years (1979-1984), and has moments of absolute lunacy and imagination, faltering only during the last third of the film. A showcase for many rising stars (Harold Ramis, John Candy, John Larroquette, Sean Young, Judge Reinhold) and featuring Warren Oates' funniest performance on film, it nevertheless is primarily Murray's show, and he delivers, brilliantly!

As an arrogant but likable loser who thrives on twisting the 'rules' to suit him, Murray combines physical humor, sly one-liners, and an anti-establishment point of view to establish himself as the logical successor to the anarchists of ANIMAL HOUSE. His character, John Winger, is not only a jerk, but charismatic enough to make being a smartass desirable! After losing his girl, his job, his home, and even his pizza ("Then depression set in," he announces), he sees a TV commercial for the Army, and convinces his friend Russell Ziskey (sweetly played by Harold Ramis), an English language teacher who's better at teaching cuss words to his students than English, to drop everything and enlist with him.

Basic is a challenge for Winger, as the Army expects him to be a soldier! In a unit comprised of idiots, psychopaths, potheads, and an overweight recruit who enlisted to "shed a few pounds" in a 'Club Med'-style environment (John Candy, who is very funny), Winger immediately attempts to take charge, only to be put down by gruff drill instructor, Sgt. Hulka (Warren Oates), who is wise to all of Winger's scams. Not that this interferes with Winger and Ziskey's social life; the pair soon have MP girlfriends (P.J. Soles and Sean Young) sharing trysts in the General's quarters!
The film's highlight occurs after Sgt. Hulka is incapacitated by an exploding grenade. Faced with having to start basic training all over again, Winger coaches the unit overnight in HIS kind of drill for the final Review and Parade. Unfortunately, everyone then oversleeps, and arrive at the Parade Ground in all manner of dress. Winger's unorthodox marching routines are a hit, however, and the General, thinking he is watching a crack outfit, addresses Winger in one of the funniest exchanges ever recorded on film!
Unfortunately, STRIPES doesn't end with Winger's completion of basic training, but moves to Europe, where the unit (and Sgt. Hulka) are assigned to guard an attack vehicle that looks suspiciously like an RV. While there are a few amusing moments in this final chapter of the film, it lacks the inspired madness of basic training, and drags, a bit, until the famous 'Magazine Cover' postscript.

All in all, STRIPES is a memorable, if flawed near-classic, and paved the way for Murray and Ramis' blockbuster, GHOSTBUSTERS. If you're a Bill Murray or service comedy fan, it should not be missed!