2011 Movie Reviews

Radical Retro Movie Review: “Stripes” Celebrates 30 Years Of Laughs

Try to imagine your worst day in recent memory.  Really picture it.  Get that horrific experience fresh in your mind.  Does it compare to losing your job, your car, your significant other, and your pizza all in the same day?  Chances are, probably not.

All these calamities pile up for John Winger (Bill Murray) in director Ivan Reitman’s comedy “Stripes,” which turns 30 years old today.   Out of everything, what stings the most for John, are his girlfriend’s words when she dumps him, “You’re going nowhere John, and it’s just not that cute anymore…”  John attempts to use humor to save face when he responds, “Come on, it’s a little cute…”  However he knows it’s too late to save his relationship and he has no one to blame for ruining it except himself.

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Evan Crean

Hello! My name is Evan Crean. By day I work for a marketing agency, but by night, I’m a film critic based in Boston, MA. Since 2009, I have written hundreds of movie reviews and celebrity interviews for Starpulse.com. I have also contributed pieces to NewEnglandFilm.com and to The Independent, as a writer and editor. I maintain an active Letterboxd account too. In addition to publishing short form work, I am a co-author of the book Your ’80s Movie Guide to Better Living, which is available on CreateSpace and Amazon. The book is the first in a series of lighthearted self-help books for film fans, which distills advice from ’80s movies on how to tackle many of life’s challenges. On top of writing, I co-host and edit the weekly film podcast Spoilerpiece Theatre with two other Boston film critics. I’m a founding member and the current treasurer for the Boston Online Film Critics Association as well. This site, Reel Recon.com, is a one-stop-shop where you can find links to all of my past and present work. Have any questions or comments after checking it out? Please feel free to email me (Evan Crean) at: ecrean AT reelrecon DOT COM .