Bill Murray made his breakthrough with this comedy and his sleazy charisma helps disguise the formulaic "you're in the army now" plotting. Layabout Murray and chum Harold Ramis (also co-writer) are conned into joining up (by an unbilled Harry Dean Stanton, in a neat cameo). Murray's sparring with the obligatory hard-nosed NCO (Warren Oates, in one of his last film roles) is a constant delight; the film only goes off the rails in the Rambo-ish finale. A surprise hit, it also features early high profile roles for Judge Reinhold, John Candy and Sean Young.

Hard-luck cabbie John Winger, directionless after being fired from his job and dumped by his girlfriend, enlists in the U.S. Army with his close pal, Russell Ziskey. After his barely satisfactory performance in basic training, the irreverent Winger emerges as the figurehead for a ragtag band of misfits. However, his hijinks threaten to cause an international scandal when he inadvertently commandeers a military assault vehicle behind enemy lines.