A 30-year-old satiricalcomedywar movie with a 12% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes is surprisingly realistic, according to a retired US Army Drill Sergeant. Throughout film history, there have been a plethora of war films that have captured the realism of combat and what life was like during times of great strife around the world. This includes everything fromhistorically accurate World War II movieslikePattonandLetters from Iwo Jima, to those surrounding other conflicts, likePlatoon(set during the Vietnam War) andBlack Hawk Down(set during the Battle of Mogadishu).
Some of the mosthistorically accurate war moviesin general have also left a major mark on audiences, such as Steven Spielberg’s critically acclaimedSaving Private Ryan, or Richard Attenborough’sA Bridge Too Far. Oftentimes, these praised films are dramatic viewpoints into wartime, although some war comedies have been made over the years as well.This includesGood Morning Vietnamstarring Robin Williams, and 1970’sCatch-22, based on the novel by the same name. While these war comedies were applauded by critics and audiences, a negatively received one managed to capture elements of the Army with surprising accuracy.
In The Army Now Offers A Shockingly Realistic Look At US Army Training
A Real Drill Sergeant Analyzed Scenes From The Movie
[R]etired US Army Drill Sergeant Lamont Christian praisedIn the Army Nowfor having accurate portrayals of what basic training is like.
In the Army Nowis a 1994 war comedy directed by Daniel Petrie Jr. and starring Pauly Shore as Private First Class Bones Conway.The movie follows Bones and his friend Jack (Andy Dick) who decide to join the US Army Reservein hopes of making money, a decision that ends up getting them shipped to Africa following Lybia’s invasion of Chad. The movie follows their training as they’re forced to become organized and efficient members of the military. The film holds a 12% on Rotten Tomatoes with critics and a 44% with audiences, indicating it was almost universally panned.
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Surprisingly, while speaking withInsiderduring their seriesHow Real Is It?,retired US Army Drill Sergeant Lamont Christian praisedIn the Army Nowfor having accurate portrayals of what basic training is like.Starting at 12:59, he analyzed scenes of the soldiers being woken and and forced to do outdoor exercises, Christian praised the film for how soldiers were woken up and the Grass Drills they needed to do. He offered particular commendation for Lynn Whitfield’s Drill Sergeant Ladd for her attention to detail. Overall, he gave the movie a 7 out of 10 for realism. Check out what Christian said below:
This opening scene right here? That’s pretty realistic. Whistles, during this time period, was part of the uniform, and it was utilized to do exactly what this Drill Sergeant was doing, which is to wake him up. There’s periods of time where certain training methods, basically, they get dropped. The lights are always gonna be one of those ways to wake them up.
What they’re doing right now, commonly referred to as Grass Drills or Gorilla Drills. A lot of these exercises and drills that we did for years, they were good in creating stamina and endurance, but it was really heavily filled with exercises that would really create injuries. We in the military, specifically the Army, have changed over the years to create fitness training that reduces injuries. Now the good thing, though, is: You see they’re wearing their winter fitness training uniform. And what I will tell you is, this was definitely one of the exercises that we would do to get warmed up because it would be pretty cold.
Lynn Whitfield’s character as a Drill Sergeant is exactly right, when she’s talking about the gig line in the uniform. One of the things that basic combat training is supposed to do is help a civilian transform themselves into a soldier. And that’s the same with the Navy, the Marines, the Air Force. In this case, it was just a gig line. But everything else about that in the background, you could see the uniformity in the way the wall lockers were set up, the PT uniforms hanging off the side, the bay itself. The bunks, the way that they were made. All of that uniformity, and being able to pay attention to detail, is what will help a soldier to do better as they progress in the military and begin to learn more complicated tasks.
So I would have to say that everything in this clip in the boot camp and basic training environment, this was about a 7. It was realistic for that time period in our military.
Our Take On In The Army Now’s Surprisingly Realistic Basic Training
The Movie Still Has A Core Basis In Reality
AlthoughIn the Army Nowisn’t considered one of thebest war comedies of all time, thecomedyfilm apparently has much more realism when it comes to basic training than negative reviews give it credit for. Even though it’s not as memorable as better films likeHot Shots!andMAS*H,the movie still offers some level of honesty surrounding what it’s really like in the army. This makes it memorable in its own right, as, despite not having many redeemable qualities in the eyes of most critics and audience members, the movie still stands out for the realism it brings to the table.
In the Army Nowis the fourth-highest-grossing movie starring Pauly Shore, the highest one being 1992’sEncino Man.
In the Army Now
Cast
In the Army Now is a 1994 comedy featuring Pauly Shore and Andy Dick as Bones Conway and Jack Kaufman, two misfit recruits who enlist in the U.S. Army primarily for financial reasons. The film follows their antics and unexpected deployment to the Middle East, where they face challenges in unconventional ways.
