Stripes

Stripes. 1981 Columbia Pictures.
Starring: Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P.J. Soles, Sean Young, John Candy, John Larroquette, Judge Reinhold
Director: Ivan Reitman
Available at Amazon: Single DVD or part of a set along with Groundhog Day and Ghostbusters.

John Winger (Murray) of Louisville has just had the worst day ever: he's lost his job, his car is repossessed, he drops his pizza on the street, and his girlfriend leaves him. After his best friend, an English teacher named Russell Ziskey (Ramis) drops by, they see a recruiting advertisement for the U.S. Army on TV, and John decides that in order to get into shape and meet new girls, he needs to enlist. Russell, whose life isn't going that great himself, is talked into joining, and they're off to basic training at Fort Arnold, who is played excellently by Ft. Knox.

After arriving, John doesn't take that long to insult the drill sergeant, Staff Sergeant Hulka (Oates). The commanding officer is Captain Stillman (Larroquette). John and Russ befriend two female MPs named Stella and Louise (Soles & Young) who operate on the base, and the boys also get acquainted with the rest of the platoon. Not long before graduation, Hulka is injured in a freak mortar accident caused by Stillman's impatience, after he ordered a crew to fire before setting target coordinates.

On their first leave, the troops attend a mud wrestling bar, and it's raided by MPs and civilian police, where Stella and Louise cover for John and Russell while the rest of the platoon is shipped back to camp to face Captain Stillman, who threatens to have them all repeat basic training all over again. Upon their return, John and Russell manage to motivate their platoon with a rousing speech, and they quickly get in shape for the ceremony...which they almost miss thanks to oversleeping following a long night of drilling. This gets them noticed by General Barnicke (Robert J. Wilke), who is impressed that the platoon completed training without a sergeant.

John, Russ, and the rest end up getting shipped overseas to work on a secret project in Italy, namely guarding the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle, disguised as a large GMC motor home. One night, John and Russ steal the vehicle to visit Stella and Louise, who are stationed in West Germany. When Stillman discovers it missing (he wanted to show it off to his date), he launches an unauthorized mission to get the EM-50 back, which leads them across the Iron Curtain, and capture by Czechoslovakian troops. Hulka, who recovered from his injuries and was trying to warn Stillman against this mission, evades capture, and radios for help. John and Russ realize they're the platoon's only hope, so they take off with Stella and Louise, and they pick up Hulka on the way. They rescue everyone and heavily damage the Soviet base, earning everyone the Distinguised Service Cross. Stillman, meanwhile, is reassigned to a weather station near Nome, Alaska.

Recommended movie.