In the Army Now (1994)

Two misguided youths join the reserves to make some money for their entrepreneurial dreams. No sooner than they finish basic training are they called up to do their part to save the free world.

Director:

Daniel Petrie Jr.

Writers:

Steve Zacharias (story), Jeff Buhai (story)

Stars:

Pauly Shore, Lori Petty, Andy Dick

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pauly Shore	...	Bones Conway
Andy Dick	...	Jack Kaufman
Lori Petty	...	Christine Jones
David Alan Grier	...	Fred Ostroff
Esai Morales	...	Sgt. Stern
Lynn Whitfield	...	Sgt. Ladd
Art LaFleur	...	1st Sgt. Brandon T. Williams
Fabiana Udenio	...	Gabriella
Glenn Morshower	...	Richard Day, Recruiting Sergeant
Beau Billingslea	...	Sgt. Daniels
Peter Spellos	...	Mr. Quinn
Barry Nolan	...	Stu Krieger
Coleen Christie	...	News Anchor Person
Ryan Cutrona	...	Colonel
Paul Mooney	...	Lt. Col. Peter Hume

Storyline

Bones and Jack are two guys with very little going right in their lives. The two decide to join the Army as part of the water purification team and eventually find themselves on the front lines in the conflict between the northern African countries of Chad and Libya. The two men, along with a few companions, have it upon themselves to save the day in combat, something they know little about.

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Plot Keywords:

military | u.s. military | shaved head | head shaving | fish out of water | 

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Taglines:

Sleep tight, America! The safety of the free world rests in his hands!

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Genres:

Comedy | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some war action, mild language and comic sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 August 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

You're in the Army Now

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,367,194, 14 August 1994

Gross USA:

$28,881,266

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$28,881,266

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hollywood Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In a 2017 interview with Joe Rogan, Pauly Shore admits that this film was the starting point of the downfall in his movie career. While he enjoyed making the movie, and doesn't regret doing it, he says the reason for feeling that way was that at the time this script was offered to him, he was under a contract with Disney for three films. He had already made Encino Man (1992), and Son-In Law (1993) for Disney and both had been modest box office hits for him. At the same time executives at New Line Cinema offered him a role in an ultimately unmade film called "Totally London" in which Shore would have continued a variation on his popular Weasel character. Jeffery Katzenberg CEO of Disney would not let Shore out of his contract with the studio and bought the Totally London script from New Line Cinema and decided to shelve it. Katzenberg then gave Shore the option to do this movie, but Shore's agents advised him against it because they thought the script was mediocre and since he would have to cut off all his hair in the beginning for the basic training sequences they felt audiences wouldn't accept Shore without his usual Weasel style. While he wanted to respect his agent's opinions Shore said he made the film because it was his only available choice at the time and he desperately wanted to be on a movie set because it was his passion to make movies. However he said not seriously considering his agents' advice about this film tanked his movie career. When this movie did less box office business than Encino Man and Son-In-Law Disney would not let him make anymore movies for them, and his next two films Jury Duty (1995) and Bio-Dome (1996) were box-office failures although the latter film eventually gained a big cult following.

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Goofs

When Bones fires the AT4 near the end of the movie, what comes out is a rocket, exhibited by the smoke trail behind the projectile. The AT4 is a recoilless smoothbore launcher. All propulsion is provided by the charge in the tube, similar to how a normal firearm works. There is no rocket motor on the projectile, and hence no smoke trail.

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Quotes

1st Sgt. Brandon T. Williams: Have my words fallen upon deaf ears?
Bones: Yes, Sergeant! I mean No, Sergeant!
1st Sgt. Brandon T. Williams: Don't you know that I'm your First Seargent?
Bones: I really wish you were my First Sergeant, but I already had a couple ones already.
1st Sgt. Brandon T. Williams: Drop and give me push ups! You will continue to give me push ups until you learn to address me as First Sergeant! Is that clear?
Bones: Yes. First Sergeant!
1st Sgt. Brandon T. Williams: Go!
Bones: One, First Sergeant, Two First Sergeant...

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Alternate Versions

The TV version includes a couple of deleted scenes, including a scene in which Bones and his friends get revenge on the special forces soldiers.

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Connections

Referenced in The Larry Sanders Show: Doubt of the Benefit (1994)

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Soundtracks

Get A Haircut
Written by David Avery, Bill Birch
Performed by George Thorogood & The Destroyers
Courtesy of Emi Records Usa, A Division of Erg
Under License from CEMA Special Markets

User Reviews

Being All That They Can Be?

Although there's a lot of people who don't like Pauly Shore, apparently you either love him or hate him, I have to say that I found this film quite amusing. It takes me back to my younger days when I was a weekend warrior. The group I hung out with I'm afraid, all people who were trying to get out of the real army and Vietnam joined the reserves as I did. We were about as military a group as Pauly Shore, Andy Dick, and David Alan Grier. Back then though we were not side by side with Lori Petty. The Army in its infinite wisdom knew better than to activate our crowd for Vietnam.

But that's not what happens here. Pauly Shore and Andy Dick are a pair of misfits in civilian life and find they have a cash flow problem. That extra money for attending those Army Reserve drills sounds pretty enticing so they decide to be all that they can be on the weekends and two weeks in the summer.

But Libya and Chad go to war and like the Iraqi Desert Storm, the reserves are called up for a United Nations multi-national force. Actually Libya and Chad did have border conflicts for many years with the French attacking as protectors for Chad. Pauly, Andy, and their new friends David Alan Grier and Lori Petty are in the Sahara Desert as part of a water purification team, water boys as they're derisively called by those in the real army.

In The Army Now revives all the basic service comedy situations going all the way back to Abbott&Costello in Buck Privates. Especially in the training sequences. Pauly Shore and Andy Dick probably grew up on Bud&Lou, but they do the routines with a Generation X twist.

I liked the film and thanked God I was not in the situations that Pauly and the rest were in.