It's just not that funny

Rating: 5/10 (29 September 2005)

Drinking comedies run the risk of being stupid when viewed by the sober. That's the problem with Stripes. The entire film is a Bill Murray ego trip, and if you are in the right mood, he can be quite entertaining. Otherwise, you wonder what else is on TV or if you have any better, funnier movies in your collection.
I generally think highly of Murray's comedy: Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, What About Bob?; these are all great comedies. The problem with Stripes is that Murray seems to think that any anti-establishment behavior in the Army is going to come off as totally off the wall when really it's just an extended SNL sketch. Harold Ramis is actually much funnier and more careful with his comedic timing. Murray is all over the place, passing punch lines and belaboring others. While Murray plays with confidence, his performance has such indecisiveness that he seems to have just said whatever came to his mind and gave up on the script entirely.
Conrad Dunn's small part as Psycho was perfect. He made a cartoon out of his character quite successfully. Murray won't take that risk, because no matter what role he's playing, he's never "acting." You never forget it's Bill Murray saying those lines or doing that crazy thing. Murray has the Jack Nicholson disease where any character he plays pales in comparison to his own personality, which can be an asset. In this film, it's problematic. Murray gets better at creating characters later in his career, but this film is a dud, and when you sober up, you'll likely agree.