Stripes(1981)- User Reviews

“Do Wah Diddy diddy dom diddy do” is not just the theme song of Strips it’s the theme of the movie. Just like the song the movie is very campy, but not overdone. Of course this campiness comes from one of the great comic of the last generation Bill Murray. Although Bill Murray is the Protagonist John Winger, the star of the film was his sidekick Pvt. Russell Ziskey play by Harold Ramis, also one of the writers of the movie. Ramis has work together with Murray before in Caddie Shack, and would later be his sidekick and writer in Ghostbusters. This Film becomes a classic with a brigade of great comics led by Murray and Ramis.
This Film starts out with Bill Murray playing his usual slob, loser but loveable character which is John Winger. Winger loses his job, his car, his girlfriend and apartment, so what else is he supposed to do, but join the army? He drags his best friend and sidekick Russell along, then he joins up with others, like OX (John Candy), Cruiser (john Diehl) and Psycho Soyer (Conrad Dunn). These men represent the new army which is a group of odd balls and weirdoes instead of the good old army of patriots. This is the theme of story that the U.S new army is now an army of fools instead of army of heroes.
So the Murray brigade is assemble, full of psychos, idiots, and losers, and a great cast at the heart of it all. One of notable members of the brigade is by John Candy in his role as Ox, who joins the army to lose weight. Candy distinguished himself through scenes like when he is teaching Cruiser, the army idiot, how to play poker. Ox tricks Cruiser in showing his cards, than he tells him to go all in, which of course makes poor Cruiser lose. An important character to the theme is captain Stillman (John Larroquette). Larroguette plays a very absorbed and ridiculous offer. This is supposed to represent the new kind offers in the army. A theses offer that has no discipline, the offers thinks the army is just a game. To prove his incompetent he had scene where he was peeping on the female solders taking a bath when a cloner enters the room so surprise that he drop his eye glass throw the window. You hate this buffoon of an offers, but without the grate preferment’s of Larrowuette the movie would losses some of it funniness. Warren Oates also distinguishes himself as Sergeant Hulka. Oates character is very important to the massage of the film. His character represents the old army. He has an explosive performance, literally in some scenes. He may represents the old army but without him the brigade would not be complete.
Without the contribution of these comic geniuses the movie would not been as successful. By just taking one member of this brigade away it would ruined the film. As you watch this campy, crazy film you fall in love with this brigade of odd balls but with a cast of genius. This golden cast led by Murray and Ramis leaves you laughing and worrying about our army for days. As any good movie should, it lives you singing “Do Wha Diddy” all week long.