Saturday, February 12, 2011

'Major Payne' is Anything but Painful to Watch

There are few movies as good as “Major Payne”,  the romantic comedy about a United States Marine.  The 1995 film stars Damon Wayans as Major Benson Winifred Payne, Karyn Parsons as Ms. Walburn, and Orlando Brown as Tiger. 
 
"Major Payne" advertisement

After years of serving in the military, Major Payne is discharged and does not know what to do with his life. He is given a job at a private school, to turn the failing ROTC program around, and help the team win a trophy. 

Payne has forgotten what life is like outside of the Marine Corps and does not understand that the children in the ROTC program are not “trained killing machines.” The students do not take the program seriously, and Major Payne has “Eight weeks to turn [the] gaggle of maggots into a well-disciplined cadet unit.”

Major Payne and ROTC

The students hate Major Payne when he first shows up, but they learn to love and respect him as he becomes their leader. A teacher at the school, who manipulates Payne into becoming “the loving male role model,” soon becomes Payne’s love interest.

Just before the ROTC competition that the team plans to win, Payne is called back to the Marine Corps. He must decide between his life-long goal of being a marine, or his new life with people who care about him. Major Payne leaves for the Corps, disappointing Ms. Walburn and the ROTC boys. The boys remember what Payne has taught them, though, and go on to the competition without him. 

Major Payne, realizing he loves Ms. Walburn and the students, has a change of heart. He returns just in time to see his ROTC program win the competition, and patch things up with Ms. Walburn.

Major Payne and Ms. Walburn

“Major Payne” is a movie about the importance of family, but it is not cliché and cheesy. The film will have you laughing the entire time, and smiling by the end. I rate “Major Payne” a 5 out of 5.


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