Movies Like Stripes (1981)

Stripes is a 1981 action, comedy film from Ivan Reitman with a MovieMagicScore of 6.6/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Private Benjamin and Half Nelson.

Action Comedy

Private Benjamin

1980

A sheltered young high society woman joins the US Army on a whim and finds herself in a more difficult situation than she ever expected.

6.0

MagicScore

Half Nelson

2006

Despite his dedication to the junior-high students who fill his classroom, idealistic teacher Dan Dunne leads a secret life of addiction that the majority of his students will never know. But things change when a troubled student Drey makes a startling discovery of his secret life, causing a tenuous bond between the two that could either end disastrously or provide a catalyst of hope.

6.6

MagicScore

Down Periscope

1996

Maverick Navy Lieutenant Commander Tom Dodge will never be a textbook officer, but he's a brilliant seaman who's always wanted to command a nuclear submarine — he's been given one last chance to clean up his record. Unfortunately, Admiral Graham, his nemesis, would rather sink the fleet than give Dodge his own boat. So, Graham stacks the deck against him and assigns Dodge to the Stingray, a diesel-powered WW2 submarine that can barely keep afloat. To make matters worse, Dodge's crew is a collection of maladjusted, mistake-prone misfits. Then, he's tagged the "enemy" in a crucial war game, and ordered to take on the U.S. Navy's best.

6.4

MagicScore

Scent of a Woman

1974

An army cadet accompanies an irascible, blind captain on a week-long trip from Turin to Naples.

7.4

MagicScore

The Long Gray Line

1955

The life story of a salt-of-the-earth Irish immigrant, who becomes an Army Noncommissioned Officer and spends his 50 year career at the United States Military Academy at West Point. This includes his job-related experiences as well as his family life and the relationships he develops with young cadets with whom he befriends. Based on the life of a real person.

7.0

MagicScore

Basic

2003

When a hurricane hits a US Army base on the edge of the Panama Canal, an elite covert operations team of US Army Rangers recruits are on a routine jungle training exercise that goes horribly awry. Only two recruits are rescued, one of which is badly injured, but both have different accounts regarding the fate of their leader, legendary and ruthless Army Ranger Drill Sergeant Nathan West, and the rest of their platoon. Tom Hardy, an ex-army Ranger turned maverick DEA agent is brought in to solve the mystery and uncover what really happened out there.

6.5

MagicScore

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in the Foreign Legion

1950

Jonesy and Lou are in Algeria looking for a wrestler they are promoting. Sergeant Axmann tricks them into joining the Foreign Legion, after which they discover Axmann's collaboration with the nasty Sheik Hamud El Khalid.

6.1

MagicScore

They Called Him Bulldozer

1978

The "Bulldozer", a former football star, is now working as a fisherman. As a group of street-people arranges a football match against the local Armybase, he is asked to be their trainer. His boat was damaged by a submarine and he currently has no work, so he agrees.

6.8

MagicScore

War Machine

2026

On one last grueling mission during Army Ranger training, a combat engineer must lead his unit in a fight against a giant otherworldly killing machine.

7.5

MagicScore

#10

Anatar

2023

After causing the collapse of their own planet, the Anatar people of humanoid aliens who evolved from ducks, are searching for a new celestial body to call a nest. During their wanderings in space they land on Pandono, a place where living beings and nature have found their strange balance. Love, war, spaceships and space ducks are the ingredients of this grotesque modern fairy tale about accepting what is different from us.

3.6

MagicScore

#11

G.I. Jane

1997

In response to political pressure from Senator Lillian DeHaven, the U.S. Navy begins a program that would allow for the eventual integration of women into its combat services. The program begins with a single trial candidate, Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil, who is chosen specifically for her femininity. O'Neil enters the grueling Navy SEAL training program under the command of Master Chief John James Urgayle, who unfairly pushes O'Neil until her determination wins his respect.

6.5

MagicScore

#12

¡A volar, joven!

1947

Cantinflas is a private in the military, who doesn't know anything about discipline or following rules. He only wants to think about his girlfriend, the maid in an opulent hacienda. The owner of the hacienda has an ugly and shy daughter, who is in love with Cantinflas. The problems arrive when the family arranges a wedding between the ugly girl and Cantinflas, who in order to avoid the commitment gets himself arrested. During his punishment, Cantinflas learns to fly with a silly and poorly trained flight instructor.

8.0

MagicScore

#13

Dunkirk

2017

The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk between May 26th and June 4th 1940 during World War II.

7.5

MagicScore

#14

The Squid and the Whale

2005

Based on the true childhood experiences of Noah Baumbach and his brother, The Squid and the Whale tells the touching story of two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.

7.0

MagicScore

#15

MAS*H

1970

The staff of a Korean War field hospital use humor and hijinks to keep their sanity in the face of the horror of war.

7.0

MagicScore

#16

Major Payne

1995

Major Benson Winifred Payne is being discharged from the Marines. Payne is a killin' machine, but the wars of the world are no longer fought on the battlefield. A career Marine, he has no idea what to do as a civilian, so his commander finds him a job - commanding officer of a local school's JROTC program, a bunch of ragtag losers with no hope.

6.5

MagicScore

#17

Carry On Sergeant

1958

Sergeant Grimshawe wants to retire in the flush of success by winning the Star Squad prize with his very last platoon of newly called-up National Servicemen. But a motley bunch they turn out to be, and it's up to Grimshawe to put the no-hopers through their paces.

6.4

MagicScore

#18

Sgt. Bilko

1996

The US army is known for churning out lean mean fighting machines intent on protecting our great nation. Sergeant Ernie Bilko is the leader of a ragtag group of the sorriest soldiers ever to enlist in the armed forces.

5.9

MagicScore

#19

Top Gun

1986

For Lieutenant Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell and his friend and co-pilot Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw, being accepted into an elite training school for fighter pilots is a dream come true. But a tragedy, as well as personal demons, will threaten Pete's dreams of becoming an ace pilot.

7.1

MagicScore

#20

Cool Runnings

1993

When a Jamaican sprinter is disqualified from the Olympic Games, he enlists the help of a dishonored coach to start the first Jamaican bobsled team.

7.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Stripes?

The top films similar to Stripes by MovieMagicScore are Private Benjamin (6.0), Half Nelson (6.6), Down Periscope (6.4). Each shares action/comedy themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Stripes worth watching?

Stripes holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.6/10 from 967 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Stripes?

Stripes (1981) is a action, comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman, starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates.

Where can I find more recommendations like Stripes?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more action recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Private Benjamin Movies like Half Nelson Movies like Down Periscope Movies like Scent of a Woman Movies like The Long Gray Line Movies like Basic

About movies like Stripes

This ranked list pairs Stripes (1981), a action and comedy film from Ivan Reitman, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Bill Murray take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

← Back to Stripes

Movies Like Stripes (1981)

Private Benjamin

Half Nelson

Down Periscope

Scent of a Woman

The Long Gray Line

Basic

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in the Foreign Legion

They Called Him Bulldozer

War Machine

Anatar

G.I. Jane

¡A volar, joven!

Dunkirk

The Squid and the Whale

M*A*S*H

Major Payne

Carry On Sergeant

Sgt. Bilko

Top Gun

Cool Runnings

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Stripes?

Is Stripes worth watching?

What kind of movie is Stripes?

Where can I find more recommendations like Stripes?

Keep exploring

About movies like Stripes

MAS*H