Stripes (1981)
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An immature taxi cab driver and his friend join the Army, leading to a series of comical results.
The story
After losing his job, apartment, car, and girlfriend due to his immaturity, Louisville taxi cab driver John Winger convinces his best friend Russell Ziskey to enlist in the United States Army. The two men are assigned to a basic training platoon under the command of the stern Sergeant Hulka. As they navigate the rigors of military life, John's slacker attitude creates friction with his superiors, while he and Russell become involved with two members of the Military Police. The film follows their journey through basic training and the challenges of adjusting to military life as a pair of mismatched recruits.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After losing everything in Louisville, John Winger and Russell Ziskey enlist in the Army. During basic training, they are assigned to Sergeant Hulka's platoon. After a period of tension and a brief stint as AWOL, they are eventually integrated into the unit. Following an incident where Hulka is injured, the platoon is left without a leader and they are later assigned to a secret project involving the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle. The plot follows their journey to Italy and West Germany, where they eventually find themselves in a confrontation in Czechoslovakia. After a successful rescue mission, the core group—John, Russell, Stella, Louise, and Hulka—are hailed as heroes and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, while the others are reassigned or retired.
- First release year
- 1981
- Runtime (minutes)
- 106
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ivan Reitman
- Writers
- Len Blum · writer; Dan Goldberg · writer; Harold Ramis · writer
- Cast and characters
- Bill Murray · John Winger; Harold Ramis · Russell Ziskey; Warren Oates · Hulka; P. J. Soles · Captain Stillman; John Candy · Elmo; Sean Young · Stella
- Genres
- war comedy; action comedy; adventure comedy; buddy comedy
- Themes
- military life; friendship; immaturity
- Tone and mood
- comedy; anarchic
- Setting
- Louisville, Kentucky; Italy; West Germany; and Czechoslovakia during the Cold War era.
- Premise and plot tags
- military; buddy comedy; war
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences and was a commercial success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 67% · scale: percentage · review count: 119; Metacritic · score: 68 · scale: 100 · review count: 14
- Production trivia
- The film was originally conceived as 'Cheech and Chong join the army'.; The EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle was built from a 1973-1978-era GMC Motorhome.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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