Bill Murray is charming and goofy in Stripes, but as has been pointed out the film is just a little too long, or, the last half hour could have been something different. The first two thirds of the film are fun and solid, though some of it is a little dated, and some of it doesn’t quite work.

Murray is John Winger, a New Yorker who has hit rock bottom. He’s quit his job again, his girlfriend has left him, and he is completely aimless in life. So he convinces his pal Russell (Harold Ramis) to sign up with the U.S. Army with him.

Wackiness ensues. And that wackiness includes some very familiar names. There’s Warren Oates as their Drill Sergeant, Hulka, John Candy as Ox (he and his character deserved better), John Diehl, Judge Reinhold, Sean Young, P.J. Soles, Lance LeGault, John Laroquette, Dave Thomas, Joe Flaherty Fran Ryan, and a blink and you miss it appearance of Bill Paxton.

Murray is a bit of jerk type with lots of hilarious quips who slowly finds himself in the place he needs to be. He clashes with Hulka, and even as he flirts with Stella (Soles) he begins to grow as a person.

There are a lot of funny bits in the film, some of which are classics at this point. And if the entire film was just their training, culminating in their graduation ceremony, it may have worked better. The whole tagged on last third involving the RV and a European rescue mission just doesn’t work as well as the first two thirds.

Murray is just hilarious, and I love his work with Ramis. They were so amazing together, and Murray really knows how to play to the camera and deliver lines that, from other people, could have been really offensive.

As mentioned Candy deserved better, he simply plays the big guy, and while he as a person is engaging and hilarious, he isn’t given enough to do in this film, and that’s too bad.

It’s delightful seeing so many familiar faces in this film, all at the beginning of their careers. Reitman is wonderful as a director, and there’s a fun score by Elmer Bernstein. The pair would work together a number of times, most notably in Ghostbusters.

This is an 80s classic, a comedy gem, and I really enjoyed it, but not all of it works as it should, not anymore. But man, Murray is awesome in this one, and that’s the facts Jack!