Two friends who are dissatisfied with their jobs decide to join the army for a bit of fun.Two friends who are dissatisfied with their jobs decide to join the army for a bit of fun.Two friends who are dissatisfied with their jobs decide to join the army for a bit of fun.
- Hector
- (as Antone Pagan)
- Recruiter
- (as Bill Lucking)
- Border Guard
- (as Joseph P. Flaherty)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to Ivan Reitman, Bill Murray insisted that Harold Ramis be cast as his friend for two reasons: 1. They were long-time friends in real life. 2. So Ramis could help Murray re-write his dialogue or help him improvise.
- GoofsWhile Ox and several other characters got true boot camp haircuts, taken down to the barest of stubble, Winger, Zisky, Elmo and Psycho among others have haircuts that are too long to be the norm at the start of boot camp.
- Quotes
John Winger: Cut it out! Cut it out! Cut it out! The hell's the matter with you? Stupid! We're all very different people. We're not Watusi. We're not Spartans. We're Americans, with a capital 'A', huh? You know what that means? Do ya? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world. We are the wretched refuse. We're the underdog. We're mutts! Here's proof: his nose is cold! But there's no animal that's more faithful, that's more loyal, more loveable than the mutt. Who saw "Old Yeller?" Who cried when Old Yeller got shot at the end?
[raises his hand]
John Winger: [Sarcastically] Nobody cried when Old Yeller got shot? I'm sure.
[hands are reluctantly raised]
John Winger: I cried my eyes out. So we're all dogfaces, we're all very, very different, but there is one thing that we all have in common: we were all stupid enough to enlist in the Army. We're mutants. There's something wrong with us, something very, very wrong with us. Something seriously wrong with us - we're soldiers. But we're American soldiers! We've been kicking ass for 200 years! We're ten and one! Now we don't have to worry about whether or not we practiced. We don't have to worry about whether Captain Stillman wants to have us hung. All we have to do is to be the great American fighting soldier that is inside each one of us. Now do what I do, and say what I say. And make me proud.
- Crazy creditsAs the entire end credits are playing, Ox and the soldiers are marching while leaving the airport
- Alternate versionsThe "Extended Cut" DVD includes 18 minutes' worth of deleted scenes re-edited back into the film (and most available separately in the menu):
- A longer discussion between John and Russell before they drive to the recruiting office
- A short addition to the training montage where Russell and Ox deal with a heavy trash can (not available separately, see below)
- A nine-minute scene in which John and Russell take LSD and accidentally end up on a mission in the Colombian jungle. They meet with rebels whom they smoke marijuana and take more LSD with. The rebels want to kill them but they escape by leading the rebels in a rendition of "Quando, Quando, Quando"
- After Hulka's injury, a false account by Stillman of how it happened (though John knows that Stillman was at fault)
- An extra minute in the EM-50 introduction scene where John and Russell are "volunteered" to watch it for the weekend (instead of just suddenly on guard for no reason)
- Love scenes between the two couples during their Germany vacation in which the women are nude
- A longer discussion between John and Russell before Russell agrees to save the men in Czechoslovakia
- The "Theatrical" version retains the trash can segment (about 12 seconds) and skips past the Germany vacation romp about 10 seconds too soon, cutting after "special exercises" and leaving out the mention of the suitcase John's brought
- The "Theatrical" version also executes the branching very poorly, with a noticeable pause for each of the six major deleted scenes and occasional brief hiccup in content at those points (including about 2 seconds at the end of the training montage)
- Only the 5.1 remix is available, not the original mono track
- The Extended Cut identifies the extra scenes with subtitles that cannot be disabled, and the disc provides no way to switch between versions without reinsertion
- SoundtracksRubberband Man
Written by Thom Bell (uncredited) and Linda Creed (uncredited)
Performed by The Spinners
Courtesy of Atlantic Records
A weak story is saved by the great performances of Murray, Ramis, John Candy, Warren Oats and John Larroquette who are all on madcap top form.
There are great scenes prior to enlistment and during basic training. Murray and Ramis are absolutely brilliant in the scene where they sign up. They don't even have to say much more than a few words or just look at each other a certain way and it's hilarious. Also the sequence where John Larroquette sees his platoon for the first time as they charge, screaming through the muddy assault course is fantastic.
The film works well in the first two acts, but unfortunately when the focus shifts from basic training to the final sequence it goes down hill quickly. The reason for this is that all the comedic talent is then wasted on a sequence that does not showcase it at all.
The humour itself is a product of its time and not something that would see the light of day in the modern age. It is heavy on sexism, there is some racial stereotyping and one character with a learning disorder gets targeted on more than one occasion.
This is classic example of irreverent 1980s humour all the way from the Animal House inspired misfit protagonists to the Second City alumni cast. All this tinged with a hint of Cold War propaganda.
I loved it as a child in the 80s and it holds up a lot better than other similar films of that era (Caddyshack, Police Academy) on a rewatch in 2020. I do think you have to be fans of Murray, Ramis and Candy and the humour of the time to appreciate it if you are watching it for the first time.
- snoozejonc
- Jul 16, 2020
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- El pelotón chiflado
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $85,297,000
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $6,130,197
- Jun 28, 1981
- Gross worldwide
- $85,297,000
- Runtime1 hour 46 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1