A failed businessman is hired by the army to teach a group of underachieving recruits in order to help them pass basic training.
Director:
Penny MarshallWriter:
Jim Burnstein
From metacritic.com
Michael McKean draws on his 231 acting credits to share his best Hollywood stories as he plays our game of "Role the Dice."
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Danny DeVito | ... | Bill Rago | |
| Gregory Hines | ... | Sergeant Cass | |
| James Remar | ... | Captain Tom Murdoch | |
| Ed Begley Jr. | ... | Jack Markin | |
| Lillo Brancato | ... | Pvt. Donnie Benitez (as Lillo Brancato Jr.) | |
| Stacey Dash | ... | Pvt. Miranda Myers | |
| Kadeem Hardison | ... | Pvt. Jamaal Montgomery | |
| Richard T. Jones | ... | Pvt. Jackson Leroy | |
| Khalil Kain | ... | Pvt. Roosevelt Nathaniel Hobbs | |
 |
Peter Simmons | ... | Pvt. Brian Davis, Jr. |
| Gregory Sporleder | ... | Pvt. Melvin (as Greg Sporleder) | |
| Mark Wahlberg | ... | Pvt. Tommy Lee Haywood | |
| Cliff Robertson | ... | Colonel James | |
|
|
Ben Wright | ... | Private Oswald |
| Ann Cusack | ... | Bill's Secretary | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (55) »
Storyline
A down-on-his-luck businessman desperately takes the only job offered - a teacher in the U.S. Army. His mission: keep a ragtag bunch of underachieving misfits from flunking out of basic training! Be on alert as this unlikely new teacher and his underdog class unexpectedly inspire each other to be all they can be! Written by Anonymous
Plot Keywords:
teacher | basic training | u.s. army | unemployment | teacher student relationship |Taglines:
There's only one man big enough to take them on... See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
3 June 1994 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
By the Book See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$40,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$5,557,590, 5 June 1994Gross USA:
$24,332,324Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$24,332,324Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Pvt. Tommy Lee Haywood: There's these woods behind our trailer park. This old guy lives in the woods there. Everybody in town swore he was crazy. He showed me how to hunt, and how to be real quiet, and how to listen. He said he had seen everythin' in the world he wanted to see, and he ain't never wanted to leave those woods. Well, me and my daddy got laid off at the paper mill, and whilst I spent about five months watchin' TV with my brothers, I kept thinkin' of what the old man...
[...]
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
In the barracks, Lillo Brancato's character reenacts a scene from Raging Bull (1980) starring Robert De Niro. Brancato's impression of De Niro for a talent scout one year earlier landed him his breakthrough role in De Niro's film A Bronx Tale (1993). See more »Goofs
If you're watching the movie with subtitles you will notice that, when one of the guys is impersonating Robert DeNiro in Raging bull, the subtitle says "impersonating Robert DeNiro". Later on however when the same guy is impersonating Scarface, the subtitle also say "impersonating Robert DeNiro". However a true fan will know that it is Al Pacino who is in Scarface. See more »Quotes
[reading about why they joined the Army]Pvt. Tommy Lee Haywood: There's these woods behind our trailer park. This old guy lives in the woods there. Everybody in town swore he was crazy. He showed me how to hunt, and how to be real quiet, and how to listen. He said he had seen everythin' in the world he wanted to see, and he ain't never wanted to leave those woods. Well, me and my daddy got laid off at the paper mill, and whilst I spent about five months watchin' TV with my brothers, I kept thinkin' of what the old man...
[...]
See more »
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Let me start off by saying that this movie is miss-marketed as a comedy. As a comedy, this movie is, at best, mediocre. Sure, there are some funny moments, but it isn't nearly as hilarious as it claims to be. However, what this movie lacks in comedy, it makes up for with it's other qualities. This is a warm, fuzzy, feel-good movie with a lot of wisdom in it. The character development is excellent and we really get to like the characters. The bond between DeVito and his students is strong. This movie is very touching, with a few funny moments in-between. Sure, there are some corny scenes (the rap scene) but hey, every teacher has their own way of making their students understand their material, right? I would recommend this movie, although not as a comedy.