In 1981, before the Police Academy threw open its doors, eventual Ghostbusters architect Ivan Reitman span this playful tale about a bunch of slack-jawed yokels who join the US Army. One such waster is John Winger (Bill Murray) who, after getting dumped (""You can't leave, the plants will die""), is looking for something to lift his sagging existence. Winger ropes in his crony Russell Ziskey (Harold Ramis) to sign up and both are astounded that compared to their bunk buddies, they are fairly sane. The comedy is uncorked and Murray lets the dry sarcasm flow, with heavyweight support from John Candy ("A lean, mean, fighting machine!") and Ramis. This little gem manages to scrap its way through a crappy final sequence with barely a scar, thanks to the one-liners and knockout monologues. You should sign up and that's a fact, Jack.
DVD Extras:
Reitman reels off some top anecdotes in the commentary and Making Of... Our fave being how this was greenlit as Cheech And Chong Join The Army. There's Stripes 2 right there.
