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.

Poor Lynn Whitfield, cast here at the Army drill sergeant in charge of the troop that features Pauly Shore and Andy Dick. In the realistic Army, these two fools wouldn't be allowed anywhere near basic training, let alone entrusted with weapons. The fact that they make it through basic training is the most ridiculous twist, and their basic training isn't even ten minutes long. Two of the unfunniest comics over to make a career in the movies, Shore and Dick are a total embarrassment you try to watch and gain a laugh out of.

I have seen pretty much every military base comedy going back to "Doughboys" (1930, Buster Keaton) up through "Buck Privates", "At War with the Army", and in more modern times, "Private Benjamin" and "Stripes". Each of those films has something original to contribute, but this one takes slob comedy down the most absurd of paths, and even with David Alan Grier involved, it falls flat and has maybe one or two minor laughs.

The fact that Shore's character thinks that he is quite the ladies man and actually gets the ladies is perhaps the most ridiculous element of the film. Grier, ten times funnier than either Shore or Dick, gets very little to do. There's also a very tacky scene where the two pretend to be lovers to keep themselves from going to Africa (The country of Chad) and are ordered to kiss. Coming out right after don't-ask-don't-tell, it seems completely absurd. Fortunately, the offense is more based on the fools that the leads made out of themselves and the impact it has had on their careers, being one of the most reviled comedies in the past 30 years.

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.