This was quite an experience, folks. Not only was it a charity event held in recognition of Armed Services Day, but it was also a 30th anniversary screening. And this wasn’t some DVD getting played on a projector screen, but a brand new fully-restored 35mm print direct from Columbia Pictures, getting played by a professional projectionist in one of Portland’s premier arthouse theaters. These are the conditions in which I got to see Stripes for the very first time. And I loved it.

There are several reasons why, but first and foremost among them is the script. In fact, I think I should call it THE SCRIPT for how crucial a part it played in this movie’s greatness. From the very opening of this movie to the very end, this has to be one of the sharpest, smartest, wittiest and funniest screenplays I’ve seen in a comedy. You’ll find hundreds of jokes in this film, but you’ll never find a bad one. Though the film has its share of crass jokes (the captain’s Peeping Tom scene, for example), several moments of comedy are actually funny without being crude (the basketball gag near the movie’s opening, for example). However, most of the jokes are character-based and created in such a way that they actually develop the characters in a humorous way. Winger’s opening taxi drive and Ox’s mud-wrestling scene come to mind.

This brings me to the second great thing about this movie: Its cast. The actors in this film are uniformly excellent, but Bill Murray is surely the greatest among them. Stripes was made at the peak of Murray’s career, showing him at his wry, snarky, deadpan best. So many of this film’s jokes are made funnier simply because of how Murray delivers them (“Have you ever been convicted of a felony?” “Convicted? No.”). Then again, it helps that his long-time colleague Harold Ramis both co-wrote and co-stars in the film. Their banter together is perfect, with exquisite comedic timing. Ramis himself is very funny in more than a few scenes. P.J. Soles and Sean Young play the love interests, both of whom appear charming and vivid, though they’re sadly acted off the screen by their co-stars. Then again, it’s worth noting that this was Young’s breakout film. In fact, this film also helped launch the careers of John Laroquette, Judge Reinhold, John Diehl and John friggin’ Candy. Last but not least, Warren Oates absolutely nailed his performance as the platoon’s drill sergeant, shortly before his death in 1982.

Put simply, this amazing material and the wonderfully talented cast suited each other perfectly. Yet it would all have still fallen flat if not for my third favorite thing about this movie, its direction.

Sure, I could talk about how Ivan Reitman crafted a film with phenomenal comedic timing. I could talk about how he successfully managed to cram so much action, comedy, romance and character development into a mere 106 minutes while throwing in some nudity for good measure and making it all mesh together. I could talk about how Reitman made this crew of misfit morons look dangerously stupid without making the rest of the armed forces look incompetent, especially at a time when the post-Vietnam era made military-bashing in vogue. But really, I think that I should only have to point to the graduation scene (sorry I can’t find a better copy on YouTube).

Just look at that scene, folks. The choreography. The camera work. The editing. Look at how the scene manages to be funny and irreverent while simultaneously showing that these characters have truly earned their graduation from basic training. This scene is masterfully done, plain and simple.

Sadly, as this was a screening of the theatrical cut, I didn’t get to see the additional 16 minutes of material found in the extended cut. I did, however, get to take part in a Q&A after the show with the screening’s guest of honor, P.J. Soles. Not only is she still looking great after 30 years, but I’m glad to say that Soles was very kind, patient and indulgent while answering the questions of some surprisingly devoted fans. From the Q&A, I learned that Murray and Ramis actually improvised quite a bit of the movie (her scenes with Murray in the kitchen and the bedroom chest, for example, were made up entirely on the fly) and Candy was a very sweet guy who frequently held impromptu parties at his place. Also, that graduation scene was choreographed and rehearsed so fiercely that they managed to film it in just one day, yet Ramis was still extremely worried about getting it right (watch how serious he is in that scene).

Another fun anecdote: Back when he was a complete unknown, Brian Grazer once gave Soles a screenplay for Splash, saying that she and Murray would be perfect for the leads. When Soles handed Murray the script, he threw it across the commissary without reading a page, saying that he wasn’t going to do another comedy. He went on to do The Razor’s Edge, Tom Hanks went on to do Splash with Daryl Hannah and the rest is history.

All in all, I had an amazing time watching Stripes. Even without the bells and whistles of a theatrical screening and a special guest in attendance, the movie is still a comedy classic. The action is solid, the script is marvelous, the nudity is great without being excessive and the cast features some truly great comics in the prime of their careers. I heartily recommend seeking this one out if you haven’t already.