In the Army Now (1994)

0% of critics liked it
(22 reviews)
47% of users liked it
(43,507 ratings)

Comedian Pauly Shore goes to boot camp in this comedy adventure set in Chad. It was filmed on location in the California and Arizona deserts. Shore is cast as Bones, a dreamer who wants to open his own stereo shop with his best friend Jack. To earn the cash, Bones talks Jack into joining the Army… More Comedian Pauly Shore goes to boot camp in this comedy adventure set in Chad. It was filmed on location in the California and Arizona deserts. Shore is cast as Bones, a dreamer who wants to open his own stereo shop with his best friend Jack. To earn the cash, Bones talks Jack into joining the Army reserves. In boot camp, they are trained as water purifiers. While in camp, they meet the feisty Christine who takes no guff from men and Fred who is afraid of everything. The foursome are called to active duty and positioned in the deserts of Chad. Through a great mix up, they find themselves driving a water tanker behind Libyan enemy lines. There they must extricate themselves and eventually save the day. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 33 min.
Directed By: Daniel Petrie Jr
Genres: Action & Adventure, Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 12, 1994 Wide
On DVD: Feb 3, 2004

Critic Reviews

Janet Maslin, New York Times
Putting Mr. Shore under the authority of a pretty female drill sergeant (Lynn Whitfield) is, along with that bad haircut, one of this film's only ways of getting laughs.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Every promising situation -- Shore suffering through basic training, dealing with real battle and so on -- suffers immediate creative fatigue.
Rita Kempley, Washington Post
It's a tale as old as the jokes, which were already old when the Peloponnesians went to war.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The screenplay, work by five writers, based on a story by three others, seems to have been rewritten often enough that any individuality has been lost.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Shore's character -- an immature, SoCal mall rat--may have been tolerable introducing videos on MTV, but 90 straight minutes of his lackadaisical schtick borders on torture.
Clint Morris, Moviehole
Should be discharged
John Wirt, Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)
A good reason to go AWOL.
Blake Davis, KFOR Channel 4 News
Not even as good as Bio-Dome, and I never thought I would ever say that in my life.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
It stars Pauly Shore. 'Nuff said.
Mike McGranaghan, Aisle Seat
It stars Pauly Shore...you do the math.
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
Let's put it this way: it's a 90-minute comedy, and I laughed just once (the guy in front of me spilled popcorn on his whiny date, if you must know).

Read all 11 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jeff "

This was the type of film I thoroughly enjoyed when I was younger. Now looking back, I can't believe the crap I enjoyed when I was young. In the Army Now is a horrible film with a terrible cast. Pauly Shore made two fairly comical films, but unfortunately for him, with this one… More
This was the type of film I thoroughly enjoyed when I was younger. Now looking back, I can't believe the crap I enjoyed when I was young. In the Army Now is a horrible film with a terrible cast. Pauly Shore made two fairly comical films, but unfortunately for him, with this one he started to repeat himself and be very annoying. His antics were decent for at least two films, but over doing the weasel was starting to be painful to watch. The comedy elements of this film fall flat and they never get off the ground. How can they with a one dimensional comedian like Pauly Shore? In the Army Now fails from start to finish. This is simply a poorly written comedy with nothing going for it. The jokes are stale, the acting sucks, and the direction is bad. The film fails to entertain and fails as a comedy. If you're looking for a good comedy, this isn't it. What you can expect from this film is an awful attempt at comedy and yet another folly from Pauly Shore. Encino Man and Son in Law were decent, but this film was the point in Shore's career where he started to be irrelevant with his crap style of humor. His one joke routine worked for two films after that, it didn't. In the Army Now is a poor comedy that at times makes you smile, but never makes you chuckle. Maybe the film would have been better if it had better actors, but since this is a Pauly Shore film, this film is a miss. In the Army Now is significant because, it shows signs of Pauly Shore's dwindling sense of comedic delivery. A forgettable film.
Jason O

I didn't ever see "In The Army Now" until a few weeks ago. I didn't ever think it would be that good of a movie, but after watching it I found out I was wrong. Two guys who have nothing else to do decide to join the army and that's when the fun begins. They… More
I didn't ever see "In The Army Now" until a few weeks ago. I didn't ever think it would be that good of a movie, but after watching it I found out I was wrong. Two guys who have nothing else to do decide to join the army and that's when the fun begins. They are both thought of as losers and it doesn't seem like they could ever make it in something like the army at first. However, they turn out to be two of the most successful people in the army. If you like good comedy movies, I recommend seeing "In The Army Now" because it's fun to see how Pauly Shore and his friend make it a success being in the army. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. Makes you wonder if it's really that fun to be in the army.
Jason S

Back when he was really popular Pauly Shore was putting out a lot of movies. This was not one of the good ones.
Derek D

I would expect nothing less from the Weasel...or Andy Dick...or David Alan Grier...or Lori Petty...
Curtis L

Who let this guy do movies, anyway.
Curt C

Pauly Shore.
Jason R

I really can't keep a straight face as I sit here and try to tell you about this movie, and wither or not you should watch this. Should you? Yes, it is actually not that bad of a film. However it isn't that good either. Pauly Shore is in my opinion, slightly underrated as a… More
I really can't keep a straight face as I sit here and try to tell you about this movie, and wither or not you should watch this. Should you? Yes, it is actually not that bad of a film. However it isn't that good either. Pauly Shore is in my opinion, slightly underrated as a comedic actor. His early 90's films are some of the funniest and memorable from my childhood and I still love watching them to this day. That said this is probably my least favorite of his movies simply because I felt with the acting talent involved it could have been funnier and lets face it better. So when it comes to Pauly Shore films this is a good one to watch, but it may disappoint fans of his better known work. But at least it isn't Pauley Shore is Dead.