Stripes, 1981.

Directed by Ivan Reitman.

Starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P. J. Soles, John Candy, Sean Young, Judge Reinhold, and John Larroquette.’

SYNOPSIS:

Sony has issued their 4K Ultra HD edition of Stripes previously found in Columbia Classics: Volume Two as a standalone Steelbook with the same mix of old and new bonus features, along with a code for a digital copy. If you’re a fan of the film and didn’t get that boxset, now is the perfect time to scoop it up.

I received this one and Gandhi for review on the same day. Talk about movie whiplash: I went from an ultra-serious epic about a man who eschewed most worldly possessions to enact change in India to a film featuring a couple goofballs who decide to join the U.S. Army on a lark and end up on a series of misadventures.

In a way, though, Stripes was a bit of a palette cleanser, and it still holds up as a great example of a fun, raunchy 80s comedy. Bill Murray and Harold Ramis star as John Winger and Russell Ziskey, respectively. When John loses his job, apartment, and girlfriend all in one day, he talks his buddy Russell into enlisting in the Army with him.

The pair are thrown into boot camp with a bunch of other ne’er-do-wells, including Dewey “Ox” Oxberger (John Candy), who signed up to lose weight; Francis “Psycho” Soyer (Conrad Dunn), who lives up to his nickname; and others. John Laroquette is Captain Stillman, who’s determined to get everyone into shape, and Sean Young and P.J. Soles play members of the military police who end up as girlfriends of Russell and John, respectively.