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

Gross USA:

$28,864,707

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

The video game Bones is playing in the opening sequence is "Return Fire" for the 3DO.

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Goofs

After they get to Chad, Fred sees some children wearing clothing typical of the Indo-China region.

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Quotes

[Bones is mishandling a bazooka]
Sgt. Ladd: See the picture on the front of this weapon? It's put there for privates like you... It's idiot-proof.

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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

Features Return Fire (1994)

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Soundtracks

Be All That You Can Be
Written by Jake Holmes

User Reviews

funny

This is a film that is sort of a guilty pleasure for me, what I mean by that is that its a film that I am almost ashamed to admit that I like. Pauly Shore is a lot more talented then his critics would have you believe. I am a Sergeant in the Army and on October 20th I will have ten years on active duty. I also spent six years in the National Guard and served in Operation Desert Storm. Watching military movies is fun for me because I often laugh at them and say that it is not like that in real life. This film gave me a lot of laughs. I liked the scene where Pauly dropped that grenade in basic. I would have killed him if I had been his drill sergeant. I think Lori Petty played a good part in this film. She is an underated actress who can do comedy and drama very well. People have not given her enough credit. She sort of steals the show in this movie as Christine. I was sort of reminded of my Gulf war experiences when I was watching them in the desert. I remember when our plane landed I just looked around and there was nothing only sand and thats what they see. This film understandebly never won any Oscars and I doubt if the American Film Institute will ever fight to preserve it, but it is still a nice way to waste two hours.