Major Payne
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''Major Payne'' is a 1995 American
military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
Nick Castle Nicholas Castle (born September 21, 1947 in Kingsport, Tennessee) is an American screenwriter, film director, and actor. He is known for playing Michael Myers (Halloween), Michael Myers in John Carpenter's horror film ''Halloween (1978 film), H ...
and starring
Damon Wayans Damon Kyle Wayans Sr. (; born September 4, 1960) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, and writer. A member of the Wayans family of entertainers, Damon performed as a comedian and actor throughout the 1980s, including a brief stint ...
, who wrote with
Dean Lorey Dean Lorey (born November 17, 1967) is an American writer and producer whose projects include films such as ''Major Payne'' and ''Animal Crackers'', and television series which include ''Harley Quinn'', '' My Wife and Kids'', ''Arrested Developmen ...
and Gary Rosen. The film co-stars
Karyn Parsons Karyn Parsons Rockwell (born October 8, 1966) is an American actress, author and comedian. She is best known for her role as Hilary Banks on the NBC sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' from 1990 to 1996. Parsons also starred in the 1995 film ...
,
Steven Martini Steven Martini is a writer, actor, composer, editor, and singer/songwriter. His first break as an actor was as Cadet Alex J. Stone in ''Major Payne''. He and his brother Derick Martini wrote the films '' Smiling Fish and Goat on Fire'' and '' Ly ...
, and
Michael Ironside Frederick Reginald Ironside (born February 12, 1950), known professionally as Michael Ironside, is a Canadian actor. A prominent character actor with over 270 film and television credits, he is known for playing villains and antiheroes, but has ...
. It is a loose remake of the 1955 film ''
The Private War of Major Benson ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
'', starring
Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction f ...
. ''Major Payne'' was released in the United States on March 24 and grossed $30 million. Wayans plays a hardened military officer who, after being discharged, attempts to lead a dysfunctional group of youth cadets to victory in a competition.


Plot

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
Benson Winifred Payne, a battle-hardened
Force Recon Force Reconnaissance (FORECON) are United States Marine Corps reconnaissance units that provide amphibious reconnaissance, deep ground reconnaissance, surveillance, battle-space shaping and limited scale raids in support of a Marine Expeditiona ...
Marine,
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
and
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...
veteran, returns from a successful drug raid in South America to find out that he has been passed over for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. Payne receives an
honorable discharge A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve. Each country's military has different types of discharge. They are generally based on whether the persons completed their training and the ...
and tries to adjust to civilian life applying to become a police officer but ends up being arrested during the process. His former commander gets him out of jail and secures him a position back in the military. Payne is sent to Madison Preparatory School in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
and is given command of the
JROTC The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) is a Federal government of the United States, federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US mil ...
students. The cadets are a disorderly group of delinquents and outcasts who have placed last in the Virginia Military Games for eight straight years. Payne immediately takes a hard stance with the cadets and asserts his authority. He shaves the cadets bald and moves them out of their dorms and into a dilapidated barracks, excluding Tiger and Leland, the 2 youngest cadets who were relocated to the ROTC building. Payne's harsh punishments and lack of empathy for the cadets lead to friction with school counselor Emily Walburn, who tries to soften Payne's approach. The cadets, disgusted with the training and encouraged by the rebellious leader Alex Stone, make several attempts to sabotage Payne and drive him out of the school, via laxative cupcake and attempting to frame him for
pedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelled paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of pube ...
. The final scheme they attempt is hiring a biker to assault Payne, but Payne easily defeats the biker. After Alex claims sole responsibility in order to save the other cadets, Payne demotes cadet Dotson and makes Alex the squad leader, recognizing his leadership and willingness to sacrifice for his team. Things come to a head, and Payne offers to quit if the cadets acquire the Military Games trophy from Wellington Academy. Dotson refuses to go on the mission, angry about the demotion and telling the cadets he’s contacted his father to have him transferred, and the boys refused to let Tiger tag along due to his youth and size. When the boys attempt to steal the trophy, Payne tips off the Wellington cadets, who ambush the Madison cadets and beat them severely. Meanwhile Payne and Emily go out to dinner, dancing and share a kiss after Payne gifts her a bullet taken from his heart. As Parents Day approaches, Payne defends Alex from his abusive drunken stepfather, earning his gratitude and respect. The cadets realize they must earn the trophy honestly, and practice diligently for the Military Games. They develop into a unified squad, and Payne tells them that they have graduated from the program and are fit to compete in the games. Before the games, Payne is asked to return to the Marines to fight in
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
under the rank he was passed over for promotion. He eagerly accepts the new posting, but his deployment means he will miss the Military Games. As Payne waits for a train to depart, he daydreams about being in a family with Emily and orphan cadet Tiger. The cadets don't want to participate in the Games without Payne, but Alex convinces them to do it, taking the role of leader. At the games the boys hold their own until Dotson, who transferred to Wellington Academy, intentionally trips Alex in the foot race in retaliation for the demotion. Alex injures his ankle as a result making him unable to participate in the final event, but was able to cross the finish line, giving the Madison boys a chance to qualify. As revenge for Dotsons dirty move, Cadet Williams knocks Dotson out, instigating a rumble between the Madison cadets and the Wellington cadets. The fight is broken up, and the judges chose to disqualify Williams from the finals. Payne refuses his new posting and commission and shows up at the last minute. He smooths things over with the judges and tells Tiger, the youngest cadet, to replace Alex as squad leader in the drill competition, as Tiger has watched the group and knows the drill in entirety. The group executes an unorthodox but entertaining routine which wins them the trophy. On the first day of the new school year, Madison displays the Military Games trophy, along with Alex’s individual achievement trophy. Payne resumes being an instructor, having married Emily and adopted Tiger. Stone resumes his role as a squad leader, as Tiger becomes assistant squad leader. Payne has softened a bit, saying he will be a positive leader while instilling discipline. When a disrespectful blind cadet shows up with his service dog, Payne reasserts his dominance by shaving both him and his dog bald with his field knife and laughs.


Cast

*
Damon Wayans Damon Kyle Wayans Sr. (; born September 4, 1960) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, and writer. A member of the Wayans family of entertainers, Damon performed as a comedian and actor throughout the 1980s, including a brief stint ...
as
Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
Benson Winifred Payne, a battle-hardened Marine. Payne has difficulty adjusting to life outside the military. *
Karyn Parsons Karyn Parsons Rockwell (born October 8, 1966) is an American actress, author and comedian. She is best known for her role as Hilary Banks on the NBC sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' from 1990 to 1996. Parsons also starred in the 1995 film ...
as Emily Walburn, the school counselor. She and Payne clash over his style of training the cadets. * William Hickey as Dr. Phillips, the headmaster of the school. He appears to be mainly focused on academia, not bothered by his school's dismal record in the Military Games. His only orders to Payne are that he keep the cadets from causing trouble around the school. *
Steven Martini Steven Martini is a writer, actor, composer, editor, and singer/songwriter. His first break as an actor was as Cadet Alex J. Stone in ''Major Payne''. He and his brother Derick Martini wrote the films '' Smiling Fish and Goat on Fire'' and '' Ly ...
as Cadet Alex J. Stone, a rebellious teenager with no respect for authority. He opposes Payne's hardline approach to training and actively works to get rid of Payne, yet ends up being cadet squad leader in place of Dotson. *
Michael Ironside Frederick Reginald Ironside (born February 12, 1950), known professionally as Michael Ironside, is a Canadian actor. A prominent character actor with over 270 film and television credits, he is known for playing villains and antiheroes, but has ...
as Lieutenant Colonel Stone, Alex's stepfather, an alcoholic who abuses Alex. * Orlando Brown as Cadet Kevin "Tiger" Dunn, an orphan adopted by the school and raised by Emily Walburn. The youngest of the cadets, he struggles to keep up with the others and find his place. *
Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genre ...
as
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
Elias Decker, Payne's former commanding officer. * Andrew Harrison Leeds as Cadet Dotson, a
brown-noser In modern English, sycophant denotes an "insincere flatterer" and is used to refer to someone practising sycophancy (i.e., insincere flattery to gain advantage). The word has its origin in the legal system of Classical Athens, where it had a d ...
who was a cadet squad leader for Madison prep JROTC. Dotson transfers to Wellington after being demoted in favor of Cadet Alex Stone. *
Damien Dante Wayans Damien Dante Wayans (born April 15, 1980) is an American actor, screenwriter, producer and director. He is a member of the Wayans family. Early life Wayans was born in New York City. He is a member of the Wayans family, which includes Keenen Iv ...
as Cadet Dwight "D" Williams * Chris Owen as Cadet Wuliger, a hypochondriac. * Joseph Blaire as Cadet Bryan * Stephen Coleman as Cadet Leland, the second youngest cadet in the squad, wears black-rimmed glasses. * Mark Madison as Cadet Fox * Peyton Chesson-Fohl as Cadet
Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
Johnson *
Bam Bam Bigelow Scott Charles Bigelow (September 1, 1961 – January 19, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Bam Bam Bigelow. Recognizable by his close-to-400-pound frame and the distinctive flame tattoo that spanned mo ...
as Biker. He is hired by the cadets to confront Payne and intimidate him into leaving. * R. Stephen Wiles as Cadet Heathcoat, the overweight cadet. * R. J. Knoll as Blind New Cadet


Production

Major Payne was filmed at
the Miller School of Albemarle Miller School of Albemarle is a coeducational day and boarding school for grades 8 to 12 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1878, Miller School is one of the first coeducational boarding schools in America. The 1,100-acre campus includes 1 ...
in Charlottesville, Virginia.


Reception

Review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
gave the film an approval rating of 29% based on 14 reviews. Kevin Thomas of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' wrote, "While ''Major Payne'' is too predictable for most adults, it's an ideal entertainment for youthful audiences that allows Damon Wayans to be at his best in a dream part."
Caryn James Caryn James is an American film critic, journalist, university lecturer, and writer. Biography She grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, and obtained her doctorate in English literature at Brown University. She began working as a freelance jour ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote, "Though the movie is rarely more clever than its title, Mr. Wayans gives the dark cartoonish comedy an irreverent edge."
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'' rated it three out of four stars and called it a smart and funny satire of military films:
The key to this kind of comedy is to go all the way with it, and Wayans creates a comic character out of narrowness, obsession, and blind commitment. Of course the arc of the storyline is familiar; we know the pretty teacher will soften him, and that he will grow fond of the cadets, and no prizes for guessing who wins the big all-Virginia ROTC 'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''competition... Wayans is one of the most talented comic actors around, especially when he lets go and swings for the fences.


Box office

The film debuted at number 2 at the US box office behind ''Outbreak (1995 film)">Outbreak In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire ...
'' with a gross of $7 million on its opening weekend. ''Major Payne'' went on to gross $30.1 million worldwide.


References


External links

* {{Nick Castle 1995 films 1995 comedy films American comedy films Remakes of American films 1990s English-language films Films about educators Universal Pictures films Military comedy films Films about the United States Army Films about the United States Marine Corps Films directed by Nick Castle Films scored by Craig Safan Films set in Virginia Films shot in Virginia Films set in boarding schools 1990s American films Films with screenplays by Dean Lorey American multilingual films Spanish-language American films Vietnamese-language films