Episode 175: Stripes (1981)

Once again, welcome to our deep-dive into the wild wooly winsome world of “That Sure Was 1981.” Herein, forthwith, and wakka-wakka, we discuss the Bill Murray comedy from Ivan “I Did Ghostbusters! Yay me!” Reitman.  Bill, along with his buddy (at the time) Harold Ramis, plunge into the rich mine of comedy that is all-volunteer U.S. Army, two years after the reinstatement of the selective service act.  Yes, this was the era of “Be All That You Can Be” and “It’s Not Just a Job, It’s An Adventure,” where there was an almost desperate attempt to make the army look cool and exotic, with a downplaying all the potato-peeling, latrine-digging, and shooting people.  This movie actually makes the army look . . . zany? Fun? Something that gives you a chance to sleep with Sean Young? So yes, there’s a certain question to the degree of realism in this film, but is there supposed to be any? Maybe it’s just wacky hijinks? This film was a major hit of 1981; how well does it hold up after all these years? Well, we’re here to tell you! That’s the facts, Jack!

Poll question: What movie do you think would be improved if it was told from the point of view of one of the side or supporting characters?

George Floyd Memorial Fund:  https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/

Black Lives Matter: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019

Southern Poverty Law Center: https://donate.splcenter.org/

2 thoughts on “Episode 175: Stripes (1981)”

  1. Jinx in “Die another Day”, she was so much more interesting than James Bond, in fact she should have BEEN James Bond in that movie. Halle Berry managed to steal that film and I wanted to know much more about her.

  2. I haven’t seen the last Daniel Craig yet, but I have a feeling something like what you’re describing is what happens, though it’s not Halle Berry and it’s not Pierce Brosnan. Thanks, Vince!

Leave a Reply to Vincent-louis Apruzzese Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *