Here is another one of my favorite Bill Murray movies. It remains a favorite, in spite of its few shortcomings.

Two best friends are struggling to find direction in their lives. John Winger (Murray) works half-heartedly as a city cab driver. Everything in his life seems to be going wrong. Russell Ziskey (Harold Ramis) is taking a stab at teaching English as a second language without knowing exactly how to do it. When they see an ad for the U.S. Army on television, John expresses an interest in joining. He convinces Russell to go along to the recruiter's office. Before you know it, both men are signing up. And they're off to basic training at Fort Arnold.

Let's step aside from the storyline for a minute and note that this movie is filled with stereotypical characters. We have the inept upper-level officer, Capt. Stillman (John Larroquette). The gruff and tough drillmaster, Sgt. Hulka (Warren Oates). A ragtag group of recruits that includes characters like Elmo (Judge Reinhold) and Dewey "Ox" Oxberger (John Candy). Two female MPs who will become John and Russell's love interests, Stella (P.J. Soles) and Louise (Sean Young). Even Lance LeGault shows up as Colonel Glass. (Is he in EVERY military movie?). And everyone is so young! It's fun just to see these folks as their younger selves.

We've got an underdog plot going on here, since this platoon seems to be full of misfits. Will they even graduate from basic training? Or will they have to repeat the whole ordeal, as a group? Naturally, since Murray plays a main character, we also have The Rebel vs. The Rulebook.

In this case, the rulebook isn't as easy to toss out as it was at Camp North Star in Meatballs. This rulebook is from the U.S. Army, and it is firmly attached to the federal government. This one is more of a challenge. Obviously, from day one, John and Sgt. Hulka don't see eye to eye on anything. Who will break first, if at all?

Stripes is divided into two parts. The first part consists of Bravo Company's basic training days at Fort Arnold. The second part finds them stationed in Italy, where even more hijinks ensue -- this time, on an international basis. And with even more serious consequences.

Don't Miss Moment #1: John Winger's "We are the wretched refuse" pre-graduation speech is as similarly motivating as the "It just doesn't matter" speech from Meatballs, delivered by Tripper, Murray's character. He's good at stirring up any crowd.

Don't Miss Moment #2: Pay attention to actor John Voldstad, who plays the corporal aide to Capt. Stillman. Listen closely every time he has a conversation with the captain. Because Voldstad would soon appear regularly on the situation comedy Newhart, in the non-speaking role of Larry's "Other Brother Darryl." We would not hear him speak again on screen, for the next eight years.

Don't Miss Moment #3: If you like to recognize regional accents: Murray and Ramis's Chicagoland roots come through most when they talk about how driving into Czechoslovakia is just like driving into Wisconsin.

What don't I like about this movie? The instances of gratuitous female nudity. Yes, I can be a prude. I realize that the target audience for this story is mostly male. But still. We could have had almost all of the comedy without as much of that other stuff going on.

Nevertheless, it is fun to go back in time and revisit Stripes every once in a while. Some of its scenes and sayings are still memorable. ("Chicks dig me..." or "We had a car waiting.") Could this movie be made today, in the same way? No. For any number of reasons, no. So enjoy it as you can.