In The Army Now
Encyclopedia
In the Army Now is a 1994
war comedy, directed by Daniel Petrie, Jr.
and starring Pauly Shore
, Andy Dick
, David Alan Grier
, Esai Morales
, and Lori Petty
. The film earned $28,881,266 USD
at the box office, making it the third highest grossing movie starring Pauly Shore (behind Encino Man
and A Goofy Movie
).
This film is not to be confused with the 1941 wartime comedy You're in the Army Now
.
, Bones Conway (Pauly Shore
) and Jack Kaufman (Andy Dick
) work at "Crazy Boys" discount electronics store in Glendale, California
. While they goof off on the job, both have aspirations of opening their own electronics store in the future. Both are fired though, after destroying a rack of televisions sets.
Looking to score some quick start-up money for their store, and believing that the commitment will be minimal (they are easily lured by the recruiting slogan "One weekend a month, two weeks a year
"), the two join the United States Army Reserves. Bones chooses water purification
for their field since his brother was an experienced pool man
and the field appeared to be devoid of combat
. After surviving basic training
, they attend water purification training. The two meet up with Christine Jones (Lori Petty
) a female recruit longing for infantry
, and Fred Ostroff (David Alan Grier
), a skittish dental student. The foursome adopts the nickname of "waterboys." The group then returns to Glendale.
What Bones and Jack do not realize, however, was that Libya
has been planning an invasion of Chad
, and they are consequently called up for service overseas. They first try to get a military discharge
by pretending to be homosexuals
, but they fail.
Upon arriving in Chad, the four do not get along well with the full-time soldiers, particularly Special forces Sergeant Stern (Esai Morales
). On a routine mission to resupply a forward
base, their convoy is ambushed by a Libyan commando
squad. The misfit reserves are thought to have been killed in action (KIA)
and are left to fend for themselves. After a few days lost in the desert, they are captured by the Libyan forces and spend a night in a Libyan POW camp
. There the reservists meet up with Sergeant Stern who has been shot and captured in an ambush. He briefs them on his failed mission to rendezvous with two HALOed Fast Attack vehicles
and destroy mobile Scud launchers
carrying missiles armed with chemical warheads
aimed at American bases in the region.
During an airstrike
, the four reservists and Stern escape and find the Fast Attack vehicles. They make contact with the American headquarters and are ordered to finish the Special Forces' mission. After locating the missiles, they have a difficult time holding off a battalion of Libyans while painting
the missiles with a laser
for an incoming airstrike. The airstrike goes off-target, forcing the reservists to destroy the missiles themselves. Bones grabs an AT4
anti-tank rocket launcher
and destroys the Scud launcher base in one hit, but not before accidentally firing one rocket backwards, forcing the group to use the last RPG they have.
The "waterboys" return home as heroes. At the end of the film, they open up their electronics shop next to an Army recruiting station.
1994 in film
1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time...
war comedy, directed by Daniel Petrie, Jr.
Daniel Petrie, Jr.
Daniel Petrie, Jr. , the son of Daniel Petrie, Sr., is perhaps best known as one of the screenwriters of the mid-1980s hit movie, Beverly Hills Cop and The Big Easy as well as the director of Toy Soldiers....
and starring Pauly Shore
Pauly Shore
Paul Montgomery "Pauly" Shore is an American comedian and actor who starred in several comedy films in the 1990s and hosted a video show on MTV in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, Andy Dick
Andy Dick
Andrew R. "Andy" Dick is an American comedian, actor, musician and television/film producer. His first regular television role was on the short-lived but highly influential Ben Stiller Show. In the mid-1990s, he had a long-running stint on NBC's NewsRadio...
, David Alan Grier
David Alan Grier
David Alan Grier , also known as "D.A.G." , is an American actor and comedian known for his work on the sketch comedy television show In Living Color.-Early life:...
, Esai Morales
Esai Morales
Esai Manuel Morales is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Bob Morales in the 1987 biopic La Bamba. He also appeared in the PBS drama American Family and in the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd.. However, he is best known for his roles as Lt...
, and Lori Petty
Lori Petty
Lori Petty is an American film and television actress best known for playing "Tyler Endicott" in Point Break in 1991, "Kit Keller" in A League of Their Own in 1992, and the title role in Tank Girl in 1995.-Early life:...
. The film earned $28,881,266 USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
at the box office, making it the third highest grossing movie starring Pauly Shore (behind Encino Man
Encino Man
Encino Man, released in Europe as California Man, is a 1992 comedy film directed by Les Mayfield and starring Brendan Fraser, Sean Astin and Pauly Shore. The plot revolves around two geeky teenagers from Encino, Los Angeles, California played by Astin and Shore, who discover a caveman in their...
and A Goofy Movie
A Goofy Movie
A Goofy Movie is a 1995 American animated musical comedy film, produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, Walt Disney Animation France S.A. and Walt Disney Animation Australia , and released in theaters on April 7, 1995 by Walt Disney Pictures...
).
This film is not to be confused with the 1941 wartime comedy You're in the Army Now
You're in the Army Now
You're in the Army Now is a 1941 comedy film starring Jimmy Durante, Phil Silvers, Jane Wyman, and Regis Toomey.It featured the longest kiss in film, lasting three minutes and six seconds until Elena Undone beat it by eighteen seconds.- Cast :...
.
Synopsis
The film begins as two slackersSlackers
Slackers is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Dewey Nicks and stars Jason Schwartzman, Devon Sawa, Jason Segel, and Michael Maronna.-Plot:...
, Bones Conway (Pauly Shore
Pauly Shore
Paul Montgomery "Pauly" Shore is an American comedian and actor who starred in several comedy films in the 1990s and hosted a video show on MTV in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
) and Jack Kaufman (Andy Dick
Andy Dick
Andrew R. "Andy" Dick is an American comedian, actor, musician and television/film producer. His first regular television role was on the short-lived but highly influential Ben Stiller Show. In the mid-1990s, he had a long-running stint on NBC's NewsRadio...
) work at "Crazy Boys" discount electronics store in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
. While they goof off on the job, both have aspirations of opening their own electronics store in the future. Both are fired though, after destroying a rack of televisions sets.
Looking to score some quick start-up money for their store, and believing that the commitment will be minimal (they are easily lured by the recruiting slogan "One weekend a month, two weeks a year
One weekend a month, two weeks a year
"One weekend a month, two weeks a year" is a former recruiting slogan used by the U.S. Army National Guard. It indicated the amount of time an individual would need to spend actively in the Guard to be a Guardsman with benefits...
"), the two join the United States Army Reserves. Bones chooses water purification
Water purification
Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, materials, and biological contaminants from contaminated water. The goal is to produce water fit for a specific purpose...
for their field since his brother was an experienced pool man
Swimming pool sanitation
Swimming pool sanitation refers to methods for ensuring healthy conditions in swimming pools, lap pools, hot tubs, plunge pools, and similar recreational water venues...
and the field appeared to be devoid of combat
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
. After surviving basic training
United States Army Basic Training
United States Army Basic Training is the program of physical and mental training required in order for an individual to become a soldier in the United States Army, United States Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. It is carried out at several different Army posts around the United States...
, they attend water purification training. The two meet up with Christine Jones (Lori Petty
Lori Petty
Lori Petty is an American film and television actress best known for playing "Tyler Endicott" in Point Break in 1991, "Kit Keller" in A League of Their Own in 1992, and the title role in Tank Girl in 1995.-Early life:...
) a female recruit longing for infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
, and Fred Ostroff (David Alan Grier
David Alan Grier
David Alan Grier , also known as "D.A.G." , is an American actor and comedian known for his work on the sketch comedy television show In Living Color.-Early life:...
), a skittish dental student. The foursome adopts the nickname of "waterboys." The group then returns to Glendale.
What Bones and Jack do not realize, however, was that Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
has been planning an invasion of Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
, and they are consequently called up for service overseas. They first try to get a military discharge
Military discharge
A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve.-United States:Discharge or separation should not be confused with retirement; career U.S...
by pretending to be homosexuals
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, but they fail.
Upon arriving in Chad, the four do not get along well with the full-time soldiers, particularly Special forces Sergeant Stern (Esai Morales
Esai Morales
Esai Manuel Morales is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Bob Morales in the 1987 biopic La Bamba. He also appeared in the PBS drama American Family and in the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd.. However, he is best known for his roles as Lt...
). On a routine mission to resupply a forward
Front line
A front line is the farthest-most forward position of an armed force's personnel and equipment - generally in respect of maritime or land forces. Forward Line of Own Troops , or Forward Edge of Battle Area are technical terms used by all branches of the armed services...
base, their convoy is ambushed by a Libyan commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
squad. The misfit reserves are thought to have been killed in action (KIA)
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
and are left to fend for themselves. After a few days lost in the desert, they are captured by the Libyan forces and spend a night in a Libyan POW camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
. There the reservists meet up with Sergeant Stern who has been shot and captured in an ambush. He briefs them on his failed mission to rendezvous with two HALOed Fast Attack vehicles
Desert Patrol Vehicle
The Desert Patrol Vehicle , formerly called the Fast Attack Vehicle , is a high-speed, lightly armored sandrail-like vehicle first used in combat during the Gulf War in 1991. Due to their dash speed and off-road mobility, the DPVs were used extensively during Operation Desert Storm. The first U.S...
and destroy mobile Scud launchers
Scud
Scud is a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and exported widely to other countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name SS-1 Scud which was attached to the missile by Western intelligence agencies...
carrying missiles armed with chemical warheads
Chemical warfare
Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
aimed at American bases in the region.
During an airstrike
Airstrike
An air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
, the four reservists and Stern escape and find the Fast Attack vehicles. They make contact with the American headquarters and are ordered to finish the Special Forces' mission. After locating the missiles, they have a difficult time holding off a battalion of Libyans while painting
Laser guidance
Laser guidance is a technique of guiding a missile or other projectile or vehicle to a target by means of a laser beam. Some laser guided systems utilise beam riding guidance, but most operate more similarly to semi-active radar homing . This technique is sometimes called SALH, for Semi-Active...
the missiles with a laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
for an incoming airstrike. The airstrike goes off-target, forcing the reservists to destroy the missiles themselves. Bones grabs an AT4
AT4
The AT4 is an 84-mm unguided, portable, single-shot recoilless smoothbore weapon built in Sweden by Saab Bofors Dynamics...
anti-tank rocket launcher
Shoulder-launched missile weapon
A shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-launched missile or man-portable missile is a projectile fired at a target, small enough to be carried by a single person, and fired while held on one's shoulder...
and destroys the Scud launcher base in one hit, but not before accidentally firing one rocket backwards, forcing the group to use the last RPG they have.
The "waterboys" return home as heroes. At the end of the film, they open up their electronics shop next to an Army recruiting station.
Cast
- Pauly ShorePauly ShorePaul Montgomery "Pauly" Shore is an American comedian and actor who starred in several comedy films in the 1990s and hosted a video show on MTV in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
- Private First Class Bones Conway - Andy DickAndy DickAndrew R. "Andy" Dick is an American comedian, actor, musician and television/film producer. His first regular television role was on the short-lived but highly influential Ben Stiller Show. In the mid-1990s, he had a long-running stint on NBC's NewsRadio...
- Private Jack Kaufman - Lori PettyLori PettyLori Petty is an American film and television actress best known for playing "Tyler Endicott" in Point Break in 1991, "Kit Keller" in A League of Their Own in 1992, and the title role in Tank Girl in 1995.-Early life:...
- Private Christine Jones - David Alan GrierDavid Alan GrierDavid Alan Grier , also known as "D.A.G." , is an American actor and comedian known for his work on the sketch comedy television show In Living Color.-Early life:...
- Private Fred Ostroff - Esai MoralesEsai MoralesEsai Manuel Morales is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Bob Morales in the 1987 biopic La Bamba. He also appeared in the PBS drama American Family and in the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd.. However, he is best known for his roles as Lt...
- Sergeant Stern - Lynn WhitfieldLynn WhitfieldLynn Whitfield is an American actress.Whitfield began her acting career in television and theatre, before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special and a NAACP Image Award for her performance as Josephine Baker in the...
- Drill Sergeant Ladd - Art LaFleurArt LaFleur-Life and career:La Fleur was born in Gary, Indiana. He played football in 1962 as a redshirt at the University of Kentucky under Coach Charlie Bradshaw as chronicled in a 2007 book, The Thin Thirty....
- First Sergeant Brandon T. Williams - Fabiana UdenioFabiana UdenioFabiana Udenio is an Argentine/Italian character actress and sex symbol who has appeared in film and on television. She is best known for her role as "Alotta Fagina", a Bond girl parody in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.Udenio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and moved to Italy ...
- Gabriella - Glenn MorshowerGlenn MorshowerGlenn Grove Morshower is an American actor best known for playing Secret Service Agent Aaron Pierce on the Fox action thriller drama series 24...
- Recruiting Sergeant Richard Day - Beau BillingsleaBeau BillingsleaBeau M. Billingslea is an American actor and voice actor. He is best known as the voice of Jet Black from the popular anime Cowboy Bebop. In addition to voice acting, Billingslea has appeared in many popular TV series as a prolific guest actor...
- Sergeant Daniels - Peter SpellosPeter SpellosPeter Spellos is a voice actor who is also known as G. Gordon Baer, Gordon Baer, G. Gordon Bear, David Conrad, and Orville Ketchum.-Anime:* Black Jack - Mr. Brane* Bleach - Koganehiko, Dordonii...
- Mr. Quinn - Brendan FraserBrendan FraserBrendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,...
- Link (uncredited)
Cultural references
- After the first night in Chad, there is a scene in which the four are eating lunch in the barracks. At one point Brendan FraserBrendan FraserBrendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,...
approaches the main four characters and instructs them not to eat the chicken because it tastes like frog. The name tag on his uniform says "Link" which was also his character's name in the film Encino ManEncino ManEncino Man, released in Europe as California Man, is a 1992 comedy film directed by Les Mayfield and starring Brendan Fraser, Sean Astin and Pauly Shore. The plot revolves around two geeky teenagers from Encino, Los Angeles, California played by Astin and Shore, who discover a caveman in their...
in which he starred alongside Pauly Shore. His character bit a frog's head off in science class. - While Bones is interrupted by a phone call while kissing Gabriella, Bones sarcastically states on the phone "Look, you saw the goose, I am the walrus, and Paul is dead." This a reference to the urban legend concerning Paul McCartney's supposed deathPaul Is Dead"Paul is dead" is an urban legend suggesting that Paul McCartney of the English rock band The Beatles died in 1966 and was secretly replaced by a look-alike....
and to the BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
song, "I Am the WalrusI Am the Walrus"I Am the Walrus" is a 1967 song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Lennon claimed he wrote the first two lines on separate acid trips. The song was in the Beatles' 1967 television film and album Magical Mystery Tour, and was the B-side to the #1 hit "Hello,...
." - The game that Pauly Shore's character is seen playing in the opening scene is Return FireReturn FireReturn Fire is a 1995 video game developed by Silent Software, Inc. for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer and later ported to the PC and PlayStation in 1996. It was preceded by Fire Power and followed by Return Fire 2...
for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer3DO Interactive MultiplayerThe 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in 1993. Further renditions of the hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and Goldstar. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by...
.