Stripes (1981)

Two friends who are dissatisfied with their jobs decide to join the army for a bit of fun.

Director:

Ivan Reitman

Writers:

Len Blum, Daniel Goldberg,

Stars:

Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Murray	...	John
Harold Ramis	...	Russell Ziskey
Warren Oates	...	Sgt. Hulka
P.J. Soles	...	Stella
Sean Young	...	Louise
John Candy	...	Ox
John Larroquette	...	Capt. Stillman
John Voldstad	...	Stillman's Aide
John Diehl	...	Cruiser
Lance LeGault	...	Col. Glass
Roberta Leighton	...	Anita
Conrad Dunn	...	Francis 'Psycho' Soyer
Judge Reinhold	...	Elmo
Antone Pagan	...	Hector
Glenn-Michael Jones	...	Leon

Storyline

Thanks to a run of bad luck and go-nowhere jobs, John convinces Russell to join the army so they can get in shape, likening it to a health spa. Once in boot camp, wiseguy John tangles with his by-the-book Sgt. and becomes the unofficial leader for his platoon, made up mostly of other misfits and assorted losers. After somehow making it through graduation, they are given a special assignment but, thanks to John's romantic interest in a pretty MPO, the other men wind up behind the Iron Curtain until John, Russell, their dates and Sgt. Hulka make a daring rescue attempt in explosive style.

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Plot Keywords:

army | boot camp | graduation | rescue | american soldier | 

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Taglines:

The story of a man who wanted to keep the world safe for democracy...and meet girls

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Genres:

Comedy | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality/nudity, language and some drug use

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Polish

Release Date:

26 June 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

El pelotón chiflado

Filming Locations:

Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$85,300,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min 126 min (extended) 117 min (extended)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

'Do Wah Diddy Diddy', a central theme performed by cast members, was originally recorded in the US by The Exciters in late 1963. During "The British Invasion" it was covered by Manfred Mann and rose to #1 US Pop in July 1964. The song has become a popular cadence in the US military.

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Goofs

During the battle scene, the RV is shot by a cannon on a roof top, you can see the gunner moving the trigger after the shot, and there was no recoil.

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Quotes

[Winger's girlfriend is leaving him]
John Winger: You can't go! All the plants are gonna *die*!

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Connections

Referenced in Freaks and Geeks: Smooching and Mooching (2000)

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Soundtracks

"RUBBERBAND MAN"
Performed by The Spinners
Courtesy of Atlantic Records

User Reviews

Extremely funny movie, another Bill Murray classic

Everyone is funny in this film. Every performance is first-rate and each character adds something to the humor of this movie.

Stripes begins with Bill Murray losing his job, his car and his girlfriend all in the same day. His buddy Harold Ramis is also leading a lackluster life teaching the English language to foreigners who know only curse words. These depressing circumstances set the stage for Murray to convince Ramis to come with him and join the Army.

Basic training, a hard-ass drill sergeant, female military police and naked mud wrestling consume the rest of this hilarious film. Anyone who appreciates smart-ass humor should see this. However Murray and Ramis are the focal point of most of the humor in Stripes and are very easy to relate to. Also stars John Candy, P.J. Soles, Sean Young, John Larroquette and Judge Reinhold.