Private Benjamin (1980)

All present and correct

The service comedy is a genre almost as old as cinema itself and, whether it's Charlie Chaplin or Victor McLaglen and Edmund Lowe in the trenches, Andy Griffith befuddling his sergeants, the Carry On team on the assault course or Steve Guttenberg and co at the Police Academy, has an almost immutable formula that is never, ever departed from: through mildly comic misadventure misfit(s) find themselves in the army/navy/air force/police force, are hopelessly unprepared for the harsh realities of basic training, fumble every task yet somehow come out of it all as the perfect soldier/sailor/airman/cop and prove themselves in a mildly comic baptism of fire. Private Benjamin does absolutely nothing to fix what ain't broke, contenting itself to offer the odd slight tweak and flavoring with a mild dose of Jewish humor as Goldie Hawn's sheltered princess finds herself talked into joining the `new' army by Harry Dean Stanton's smooth-talking recruiting sergeant after husband Albert Brooks dies in the throes of passion before the honeymoon even starts ("Do you remember what the last thing he said was?" asks his distraught mother, eliciting the reply "I'm coming.").

While it's a given that there are no surprises whatsoever, it's one of those comedies that manages to be pretty consistently funny throughout even if there aren't many really big laughs out of sheer likeability. Hawn's character is not too bright but not too Hilton with it - her character arc is not just from dependence to self-reliance but more importantly from not being able to understand why Jill Clayburgh walked out on Alan Bates in An Unmarried Woman to being able to make the same choice herself, in the process tackling sexism rather more effectively than G.I. Jane did 17 years later. Eileen Brennan is clearly having a ball as the obligatory sadistic training officer out to make her life hell and there's a quietly impressive supporting cast filling out the ranks as well as a memorable Bill Conti score. It only really misses its step slightly in the scenes where her Monsieur Right (Armand Assante) rather clumsily turns out to be Monsieur Wrong at the end, as if afraid of losing the audience's sympathy long after she's won them over, but not enough to squander the goodwill it's earned by then.
February 13, 2008

Private Benjamin

I love Goldie Hawn movies and purchased Private Benjamin to watch (again) with my granddaughter who just enlisted in the military...we watched it prior to her leaving for boot camp, and I'm sure it helped her prepare for her "adventure". February 8, 2008

FORMAT

Why has this movie never been released in Widescreen format? I absolutely refuse to buy a movie in fullscreen format that was originally released in the theaters in widescreen. Let's face it folks, when a movie is viewed fullscreen a good part of the movie is missing. The exception to this is older movies that were actually realeased in theaters in this format. Other than that, it is a great comedy which I would love to own in it's original format. January 24, 2007

Overrated, but still entertaining

Goldie Hawn gives an astounding performance as Judy Benjamin, a spoiled rich girl whose second husband just died six hours into their marriage. Not knowing where to go from there, she calls a radio call-in show to get advice from people. In the end, she meets an army recruiter who tells her to enlist. Judy does so, but only because the recruiter glamorizes the lifestyle to the point that he flat out lies. When she gets there, she gets a rude awakening.

The first half of the movie is the best half, highlighted by many slapstick fish-out-of-water scenes. You'll laugh hysterically at them, especially the scene where she is forced off the bus. Eileen Brennan is also great as Judy's commanding officer, a tough-as-nails and unsympathetic woman. What makes the film far from perfect is the second half. Judy decides to be the best soldier she can be, and becomes the best out of them all. When that is all said and done, the movie then becomes a romantic drama with some chuckle-inducing moments, but nothing that could be considered a guffaw. It also tends to clash with the first half of the movie, not making the movie as satisfying as it could have been.

Still, despite some glaring flaws, Private Benjamin is a good movie with a good story to tell. Unfortunately, what was probably a pretty daring look at gender rolls for its time has gotten really stale. If you overlook that, though, the movie is very entertaining. It's not quite as funny as it's made out to be, but it's pretty close. October 11, 2006

One of Goldie Hawn's Best Comedies

Goldie Hawn has long had a knack for comedy. "Private Benjamin" is one of her best comedies. The "Jewish Princess" persona wears a little thin in a few places, but most of the time the comedy works well.

Judy Benjamin (Hawn) has led a pampered life. We learn this early in the movie when Judy becomes upset that the upholsterer has failed to find an obscure color for an ottoman. The movie proceeds to develop Judy's character as that of a woman that has received excessive luxuries from everyone in her life, with the only requirement that she be obedient. As we join the movie, it seems that Judy is about to get her life long wish. She is about to marry a man of great promise, her parents are thrilled, and she has tons of expensive wedding gifts. Unfortunately for Judy, the wedding night exertions are too much for her new spouse, and Judy finds herself a newlywed widow.

Judy learns that she is good for little. She is non-functional as a secretary. Judy is spoiled to the point of absurdity. She is unable to cook. I doubt she knows how to clean house. Judy realizes she needs to get her life moving along again, but she does not know how. A fortuitous phone call has Judy visiting an Army recruiter, where she learns that modern army life is full of beautiful bases, condos, and yachts, not to mention great medical benefits. Judy believes the recruiters picture of Army life, and heads off to basic training.

Basic training is filled with the lovely accommodating people that you might anticipate. Judy quickly learns that her recruiter misled her more than a lot. Captain Doreen Lewis (Eileen Brennan) initially makes Judy's life a living hell. Judy wants to quit the Army, but a visit from her parents makes Judy realize that she is tired of people pushing her around, so Judy turns into a model soldier.

Judy turns misfortune into embarrassment for Captain Lewis. Judy catches her current love interest Captain William Woodbridge (Craig T. Nelson) in a rather interesting position with a fellow recruit. Judy and a small band of misfits manage to take guard duty of a swamp and turn it into a major embarrassment of Captain Lewis, but glory for Judy and her gang. After Captain Lewis punishes the barracks once more for all the embarrassment she has received, Judy and her fellow recruits get their revenge with a little bit of dye.

Judy's life seems to have hit a turning point. She is in charge of herself and doing well. She turns another embarrassing incident into a European assignment. Judy soon finds the man of her dreams, again. Unfortunately, Captain Lewis also has an assignment at the same facility, and she still wants to make Private Benjamin's life as difficult as possible. Life becomes very interesting for Judy as she decides how to stay in control of her life.

This movie has far more humor than my mellow review would intimate. This movie has numerous one-liners that bring smiles all the way to serious laughs. Judy Benjamin complains to Captain Lewis that she signed up with a different Army, the one with the condos and the yachts. When a drill sergeant tells Private Benjamin that she is only permitted to stop running if she is puking, she does; on his shoes. When Captain Lewis tells Judy that she is not fit to wear an Army uniform, Judy replies that she has been trying to tell her that.

Goldie Hawn does an excellent job of bringing the role of Private Benjamin to life. She performed so well that she was nominated for a Best Actress in a Leading Role. Eileen Brennan was also outstanding, and was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Both nominations were well deserved.

This movie is rated R because it has several scenes that are bit risqué. Considering today's standards, an R rating seems a little excessive. Regardless, this movie is not a family movie.

The occasional bumpy spots in the movie are more than compensated for by the humor of the rest of the movie. This movie is one that I watch when I want light comedy with guaranteed funny jokes. After watching this movie a half dozen times, I suspect I will watch it many more times. Now, if they would release this movie in a wide screen format, this movie would be even better.
August 15, 2006

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