Weekend Warriors (film)

Plot

In 1961, as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bay of Pigs invasion hits the news, and with war looming, a motley group of Hollywood actors, writers, stuntmen, makeup artists and studio personnel think they have come up with the ideal plan to stay out of the possible conscription into military service. The group, led by writer Vince Tucker (Chris Lemmon) join the Air National Guard, and volunteering one weekend a month as "weekend warriors" will keep them at home. Almost immediately, the unit runs into trouble when visiting Congressman Balljoy (Graham Jarvis) comes upon a questionable and tasteless prank, and threatens to transfer the entire group to Berlin.

Faced with a requirement to pass an inspection to save themselves from being placed on active duty, Tucker and his friends are subjected to rigorous exercises under the unforgiving instruction of Col. Archer (Lloyd Bridges) and Sgt. Burge (Vic Tayback). While it seems as though their plan will keep them stateside, unforeseen circumstances may send the entertainers abroad, much to their chagrin. Using their professional connections and skills, they fake the most impressive inspection ever, hiring a troupe of actors to portray convincing soldiers and put on a stage show to impress the reviewing Air Force officers.

Production

Weekend Warriors was released theatrically in 1986 and as Hollywood Air Force in home video, in the same year.

Reception

Weekend Warriors was not critically reviewed, however, the home media versions have been extensively reviewed with primarily negative assessments. The review in the TV Guide was particularly blunt: "Honestly, there isn't one moment in this alleged comedy that anyone over the age of seven would find even remotely funny." Staff writer Howard Miller from The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky, summed up the majority of the reviews of Weekend Warriors: "...'Weekend Warriors' probably isn't the worst movie I've seen in my years of doing reviews, but it most certainly is the dumbest And I mean dumb, dumb, DUMB! This is a comedy devoid of laughs, bereft of wit and totally lacking in charm." On Rotten Tomatoes, reviewers gave the film a 38% rating.