In the Army Now

Bones Conway and his friend Jack Kaufman enlist in the Army Reserve hoping for an easy paycheck to fund their business plans. What they expect to be a comfortable, low-effort stint turns into something else entirely once they complete basic training and are sent overseas as part of a water purification unit. The pair, neither of whom has any appetite for heroism, end up in the middle of a real conflict in Africa and are drawn into events far beyond anything they signed up for.

The comedy was directed by Daniel Petrie Jr., following his 1991 debut Toy Soldiers. Pauly Shore plays Bones, with Andy Dick as Jack, and Lori Petty, David Alan Grier, Esai Morales and Lynn Whitfield in supporting roles. The screenplay was written by Adam Small, Ken Kaufman and Fax Bahr, and Michael Rotenberg produced the Hollywood Pictures release.

Released in August 1994, the film runs 91 minutes and took in about 29 million dollars worldwide, a solid return for a modestly scaled studio comedy. Audiences on TMDB rate it 5.1 out of 10 from 234 votes, while critics were considerably harsher, giving it 2.6 out of 10 across 32 reviews. The gap suggests a film that found some viewers looking for Shore's brand of humor but little favor among reviewers.