User Reviews

It's Pauly Shore. It is what it is. However, i do have one, personally infamous issue with this movie. Oh sure, i can laugh about it now b/c it was so long ago, but at the time, i could have beat Pauly Shore with any number of garden tools. you see... I was going through basic training for the Army at Ft. Sill in 1994 and was "asked" by my drill sergeant's to be one of the unwittingly captive extras out there running in place in the "EXTEND TO THE LEFT---MARCH!!!" scene. That's right, sports fans, i was one of those poor souls kept out of bed until the wee hours of the morning so that Mr. Shore could have his early morning Army PT scene. Only it wasn't early morning. It was filmed in about three takes between the hours of 2000 and 2400. That's 9:00p.m. 'til midnight. For those or us who know, sleep in basic training is a rare and valued commodity and Mr. Shore took about four of the six hours i got away that night. So, needless to say, my fellow recruits and I didn't much care for Mr. Shore, especially at 0300 the next morning when the training day started. we somehow got through it but never really got over it. It wasn't until a few years later that I finally got to watch the movie. That infamous scene comes on and guess what I see. I see my bald-headed self out there running in place clear as day...well, night. It's only for maybe three seconds, but it's long enough to be confirmed by a number of people. So, there it is, three seconds of my fifteen minutes of fame used in a Pauly Shore movie. wow.

Despite some good talent in this movie, it really didn't add up to much. The jokes were much more miss than hit, and certainly this film suffered from predictability. It wasn't a disaster by any stretch, but I'm sure that the number of times that I laughed was smaller than the number of times that I looked at a clock during this film. It's just yet another comedy that isn't very funny, folks.

In the Army Now reminds me a little of the Corey Haim/Corey Feldman film Last Resort. Both came out in the year 1994, and both have potential to be very enjoyable works of farce, they fail in taking themselves seriously. In In the Army Now and Last Resort the films have a few parts that are really funny, but then they are followed by dull and laughless jokes that don't go anywhere and make you want the film over as soon as possible. What a perfectly good waste of Shore and Dick's talent.

My favorite work of Pauly Shore was in the 1996 film Bio-Dome. I don't think we'll ever get something as good as Pauly Shore's work in that film. The first half of In the Army Now is very entertaining, but the funniest stuff is in the electronic store where Shore and Dick work in the beginning. If that was made into a film it would be a Clerks style film which would be very impressive. Instead the film thinks it will be funny to ship them off, well, in the army. Now.

The plot revolves around Bones Conway (Shore) and Jack Kaufman (Dick) who, after a matter of minutes, are fired from their job at an electronic store for wrecking a stack of TV sets. In an effort for quick money, Bones and Kaufman join The United States Army Reserves.

The boys sign up for water purification as their field, and after passing the training, they meet a tomboyish woman named Christine Jones (Pretty) and a dentist named Fred Ostroff (Grier). The four nickname their group "the waterboys". What they do not realize is that Libya is attacking Chad, and Bones and Jack get called into duty. They now must survive out in the army, with their new group.

I caught this on TV and thought "this may be good for a farce laugh." While I did laugh a few times, the jokes weren't original or clever for that matter. I still have three Pauly Shore films I need to watch (Encino Man, Adopted, and Jury Duty), and I hope at least one is better or surpasses Bio-Dome There has to be one.

Andy Dick managed to squeeze some awkward, yet appropriate laughs out of this film which is surprising. I never really found Andy Dick too amusing, but this film taught me he isn't all bad. Thats pretty much all I learned from In the Army Now. That may be an accomplishment. I don't think anyone else learns a damn thing from a slapstick fest.

Starring: Pauly Shore, Andy Dick, Lori Petty, David Alan Grier, and Brendan Fraser. Directed by: Daniel Petrie, Jr.

This is a film that is sort of a guilty pleasure for me, what I mean by that is that its a film that I am almost ashamed to admit that I like. Pauly Shore is a lot more talented then his critics would have you believe. I am a Sergeant in the Army and on October 20th I will have ten years on active duty. I also spent six years in the National Guard and served in Operation Desert Storm. Watching military movies is fun for me because I often laugh at them and say that it is not like that in real life. This film gave me a lot of laughs. I liked the scene where Pauly dropped that grenade in basic. I would have killed him if I had been his drill sergeant. I think Lori Petty played a good part in this film. She is an underated actress who can do comedy and drama very well. People have not given her enough credit. She sort of steals the show in this movie as Christine. I was sort of reminded of my Gulf war experiences when I was watching them in the desert. I remember when our plane landed I just looked around and there was nothing only sand and thats what they see. This film understandebly never won any Oscars and I doubt if the American Film Institute will ever fight to preserve it, but it is still a nice way to waste two hours.

In the Army Now confirmed in my mind that Pauly Shore is one of the worst actors out there. He is not the least bit funny nor entertaining. This movie is a perfect example of Pauly Shore at his worst.

Apart from the fact Pauly Shore has no talent whatsoever, In the Army Now was a movie to forget. The plot was atrocious, and any attempt of comedy felt like it was an insult to my intelligence. The entire movie was unbearable.

I don't think I even remember finishing this movie, despite having watched this 17 years ago. I only remember small parts of the movie. That's how memorable this movie was.

Don't bother with this forgettable comedy.

1/10.

Pauly Shore is a lot like Keanu Reeves in that he keeps getting cast in films even though he is terrible. At least Keanu's films have interesting plots. But this film is just horrible. It is the most painfully predictable film I have ever seen. I would have left the theatre if I hadn't been with friends (we were planning on seeing something else but arrived too late.) I cannot to this day figure out what the audience was laughing at, or what sort of sheltered life they must lead not to spot the "jokes" a mile away. Even crappy TV sitcoms steer clear of such rubbish. Painful, offensive, awful. Ishtar was better. Far better.

Whatever happened to Pauley Shore? I guess he's still around but you didn't hear much from him after this movie, which was a decent success. It was a surprisingly-good lightweight comedy with a bunch of likable goofs and weirdos from Glendale, California, and their adventures after they join the Army Reserves.

The language was pretty tame in here but there were a lot of sexual innuendos, too many for a PG rating but not surprising in a modern-day comedy. That comedy overall is good with some laugh-out-loud scenes.

Also, as with many films, the ending gets carried away. It was really dumb, but for most of this movie it was entertaining enough to certainly recommend if you need a laugh.

At what point does a film maker start realizing that he or she is working on a really bad movie? Is it somewhere during the first reading of the script, or is it during the long days of the shoot, or maybe during the last desperate hours in the editing room?

This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen, and I don't say that endearingly. Really, really bad movies have the ability to be watched in a bemused fashion where one can sit back and wonder aloud exactly what the film maker was trying to say or do, but this movie doesn't even allow the viewer that luxury. It annoys, aggravates and ultimately beats down its audience with ineptitude. A Paulie Shore classic - that's for sure, or should I say that's for Shore - ha - get it Paulie? Shore instead of sure. Oh you do get it?

Although there's a lot of people who don't like Pauly Shore, apparently you either love him or hate him, I have to say that I found this film quite amusing. It takes me back to my younger days when I was a weekend warrior. The group I hung out with I'm afraid, all people who were trying to get out of the real army and Vietnam joined the reserves as I did. We were about as military a group as Pauly Shore, Andy Dick, and David Alan Grier. Back then though we were not side by side with Lori Petty. The Army in its infinite wisdom knew better than to activate our crowd for Vietnam.

But that's not what happens here. Pauly Shore and Andy Dick are a pair of misfits in civilian life and find they have a cash flow problem. That extra money for attending those Army Reserve drills sounds pretty enticing so they decide to be all that they can be on the weekends and two weeks in the summer.

But Libya and Chad go to war and like the Iraqi Desert Storm, the reserves are called up for a United Nations multi-national force. Actually Libya and Chad did have border conflicts for many years with the French attacking as protectors for Chad. Pauly, Andy, and their new friends David Alan Grier and Lori Petty are in the Sahara Desert as part of a water purification team, water boys as they're derisively called by those in the real army.

In The Army Now revives all the basic service comedy situations going all the way back to Abbott&Costello in Buck Privates. Especially in the training sequences. Pauly Shore and Andy Dick probably grew up on Bud&Lou, but they do the routines with a Generation X twist.

I liked the film and thanked God I was not in the situations that Pauly and the rest were in.

Simply not funny. The film contains one of the most stupid quotes ever uttered in any film. Trying to calm down an irate soldier and to foster cooperation, Shore says "Would America have won the Civil War had not Ben Franklin gotten along with Eleanor Roosevelt." A dreadful film.

I really don't understand why everyone puts down Pauly Shore. I've loved him since I saw him on MTV. I used to have some of his standup on tape and that was some funny s**t. I think he's a really funny guy and a great screen presence.

In the Army Now is a super funny movie, mostly due to Pauly, but Andy Dick, Lori Petty and David Allen Grier are great also. It's difficult for me to put my finger on why I like this movie so much, but watching it makes me feel good, and that's all I care about.

While Son in Law is Pauly Shore's best movie, this is proves to be my personal favorite among his body of work. The premise of Shore being in the army is about hilarious as Leonardo DiCaprio demanding $25 million and getting it! Plenty of laughs either way. Anyway, this film was rather funny and sarcastic, satirizing the military and the macho attitudes which seem to be quite prevalent. While the cast (Shore, David Alan Grier, Andy Dick and Lori Petty) isn't going to impress you with their firm grasp of the thespian arts, it still was good stuff to watch. Also, Esai Morales and Art LaFleur both

provided solid supporting roles.

Fired from his job and in a Glendale, California electronics store, slacker clerk Pauly Shore (as Bones Conway) is broke and desperate. His similarly long-haired side-kick Andy Dick (as Jack Kaufman) is also canned. They think the US Amy Reserves is going to be easy, but Mr. Shore and Mr. Dick have to cut their long hair and undergo rigorous basic training with loud-mouthed drill sergeant Lynn Whitfield. They thought they were going to work in a cushy water purification unit, but Shore and Dick are in for a surprise. Buffed in his green briefs, Shore is about to have sex when the call to war arrives. Shore and Dick try to get out by pretending they're gay, but they are unable to kiss...

And so, it's off to war they go...

Accompanying the pair are two supporting soldiers, gun-ho female Lori Petty (as Christine Jones) and reluctantly funny David Alan Grier (as Fred Ostroff). Shore clashes with handsome Esai Morales and sees some unexpected action in Africa. Director Daniel Petrie Jr. and the crew seem to be just filling time during a long, unfunny dessert sequence. However, we do get to see Shore kiss Dick. If you remember, Shore could not kiss Dick earlier, so he must have been serious about digging his derriere. More seriously, Shore prefers Ms. Petty. Her break-out scene is a highlight. Funniest man in the army is Mr. Grier. He has good timing and delivery. And, the camel performs admirably.

*** In the Army Now (8/12/94) Daniel Petrie Jr. ~ Pauly Shore, Andy Dick, Lori Petty, David Alan Grier

I know most people find Pauly Shore (Bio-Dome, Encino Man) to be really annoying. He can be extremely annoying, but he can also be truly funny. In the movie In the Army Now, Shore plays another one of his likable loser characters. He and his best friend, played by Andy Dick (TV's News Radio) just got fired from their jobs and need money. So they both enlist in the Army Reserves assuming they will never have to do anything. During the movie they meet some new friends, Lori Petty (Tank Girl, The Glass Shield) and David Alan Grier (McHale's Navy). Pauly Shore and Andy Dick decide to join the water purification unit and Shore displays a real talent for that. Of course, a war starts and they get sent into Libya to help out the troops by purifying water if needed. The film is actually very funny and had me laughing consistently, Shore stays away from being too annoying. Andy Dick is just as funny as he is on NewsRadio. Petty and Grier are also funny. I recommend this for Shore fans and those who want a good impression of him.

Sure, sure some scenes were fun in this movie but it should be taken not too seriously. I wish it could have been better, I know its a comedy action but it felt rushed and cheated me out of viewing time. Also a disgrace to the army, could have been shot differently.

i have to be completely honest with whoever reads this, i only watched this because pauley shore was in it. i happen to be amused with his stupid humor, so i turned on the movie. he needs more stupid people to hang around them to make it worthwhile. the girl from a league of their own was in this one, and she tries to be funny. what a joke. she just wasnt funny, she was meant to be a dramatic actress. why did she team up with pauley? what was she thinking? but andy dick and pauley really make stupid funnies together, keeping me laughing. either they are all alone or together, that is the only source of comedy to be found. that is all i have to say about that! (D D-)

This film is what I expected: more silly than funny, but charismatically acted. The early scenes involving boot camp were surprisingly not so bad, but the movie enters eye-rolling territory shortly after that.

I'm surprised it took this many writers to produce such a mediocre story and script. There are so many aspects of real military life that are genuinely funny and could be written into a good comedic script. Instead, audiences way too often get flicks like this one, full of ridiculous situations in whatever reductive version of the military that writers who never actually served just cavalierly made up.

I am not a fan of Pauly Shore movies. I didn't like "Encino Man", I didn't like "Son-in-Law", and I didn't like "Jury Duty". I thought he was occasionally funny on MTV (he did one bit as Kennedy that had me rolling once), but I don't think he made the transition to movies well. He's made some real stinkers.

Okay. That being said, I actually DID like this movie. I even liked Pauly Shore in it. And although it probably wasn't a good movie by any standards, it had some extremely funny parts, like the part where Shore dropped the grenade and threw the pin in basic training. The premise (Shore joins the army as a water treatment specialist thinking he'll never have to go to war, but...) was an engaging one, and the foursome at the center (Shore, Lori Petty, Andy Dick, and David Alan Grier) worked well together, and seemed to be having a good time. I especially liked David Alan Grier as the dentist who was afraid of everything, and Petty was appropriately hammy as the butch girl who couldn't wait to go to war.

Overall, a decent movie, but a masterpiece by Pauly Shore movie standards.

Total crap oh my god i want my money back , total crap, dont waste your time going to see this movie, slap stick humor is dead, so are all the people in it

Pauly Shore was the wrath of different moviegoers and critics during the early 1990's because of his annoying "Valley Guy" roles, that in some early efforts like "Encino Man", and later ones like "Bio-Dome" and "Jury Duty", really did prove annoying and just painful. In between all of those was 1993's "Son In Law", where Shore did play that obnoxious character, but the movie had a lot of likability in it's fish-out-of-water premise,and the way Shore interacted with his supporting cast. Then there was this movie, which is a formula that continued after Goldie Hawn starred in "Private Benjamin" 14 years earlier. The formula: One of the most popular comic actors of their day would do a fish-out-of-water service comedy. Immediately following was Bill Murray in "Stripes" and then eventually Shore signed on for one as well. If you hate Pauly Shore the good news is, you will find him more tolerable and bearable here. While he has some aspects of his previous "Valley Guy" roles in this movie, he is much more restrained here playing more of a dumb straight man, than a dumb, goofy one. He plays an electronics store salesman who is fired when he and his friend Andy Dick mess around on the job. He is then informed about the Army reserves thinking his commitment will be minimal and ignoring the fact that he has to go through training. Thinking it will be the easiest area in the reserves he and Dick sign up for water purification due to his brother being a pool man, and after barely surviving basic training, little does he know he and his team are about to be the first called to a desert war in Chad, and off all of them go to defend the U.S. in Africa. The movie although far more appropriate than "Stripes" is nowhere near as funny, but Shore and his supporting cast do squeeze a little bit of humor into it. The best moments are of course in training, from the moment he gets the classic Army haircut and screams like a little girl at the horror of seeing it, to his female drill sergeant played by Lynn Whitfield, and then pretending that he and Dick are gay to get a discharge so they won't have to go to Chad. Also David Alan Grier gives a very funny supporting performance as the meek, wimpy dental student who becomes part of Shore's team. He is such an underrated comic actor, who brings this movie moments of high comic relief it needs. Lori Petty the only female water purifier of the group, has some nice chemistry with Shore, though she really doesn't quite seem to be his equally goofy match. I guess the idea of them being polar opposites makes it more funny or so the writers thought anyway. Dick is actually more annoying than Shore is here, and seems to be playing a more restrained version of his real life persona. I cannot stand Andy Dick but thankfully he is not the entire focus of the story here making his character merely tolerable, though its a shame they couldn't have found Shore a better sidekick like what Harold Ramis was to Bill Murray in "Stripes." Overall, though formulaic there are some very funny moments and good comedic performances that makes this Shore comedy arguably the comedic actor's finest hour, for what that is worth anyway.

how can anyone berate a movie so funny., give me a break. If u ar looking for a thought provik film this wont be film for you. I watched this film in college , that was around 1995, I saw it again in 1999, I laughed my ass off ( at certain places) thats like more than some films can do. I feel this movie delivers what it promises. It is undoubtedly one of my favorite film. I was disappointed with paulys other works ( jury duty etc) I guess it was shear magic watching the four main characters coming together., some of my fav lines were " christine,( if I got it right)she will drink anything !! and " is the snake done yet". The movie is slap stick at certain places but mostly its genuine comedy. I m shocked this movie has got only 4 stars. I wish the director of this movie makes lots of money someday, cos he sure made me happy.

Bones Conway (Pauly Shore) and Jack Kaufman (Andy Dick) get fired from the electronics store. Even Bone's girlfriend Gabriella (Fabiana Udenio) can't save him. They join the Army Reserves for water purification. Their drill Sergeant is Sgt. Ladd (Lynn Whitfield). They join an unit with fierce Christine Jones (Lori Petty) and nervous Fred Ostroff (David Alan Grier) who is afraid of everything. Then the group is sent off to Chad to fight Libya. The four get on the bad side of special forces Sgt. Stern (Esai Morales). Their truck breaks down, they come under attack and they are lost in the desert.

This is actually a good Pauly Shore movie. What does that mean exactly? It's a passable comedy and he's not annoying. His antics are kind of endearing like his hair cut. It has a few good laughs and he has three good co-stars to back him up. It's not hilarious or anything. But it is barely good enough to recommend.

Bones and Jack are two ne'er-do-well best friends who work odd jobs to support themselves, but really have dreams of opening their own store. Out of work and looking to make some extra cash, they enlist in the U.S. Army Reserves where they sign up to be water purification specialists. Little do they dream that they'll be sent on active duty after conflict erupts in the country of Chad. Dry comedy has its moments and is likely to please fans of its star, but it's never uproarious and never really exploits the premise for all it's worth. In most cases actor Shore is an acquired taste, but he's enjoyable and adds life here. **