Private Benjamin (1980)

Director:

Howard Zieff

Writers:

Nancy Meyers (written by) &
Charles Shyer (written by) ...

Release Date:

10 October 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The army was no laughing matter until Judy Benjamin joined it.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Army | Wedding | NATO | Wedding Night | Doctor

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Goldie Hawn	...	Pvt. Judy Benjamin - Judy Goodman
Eileen Brennan	...	Capt. Doreen Lewis
Armand Assante	...	Henri Alan Tremont
Robert Webber	...	Col. Clay Thornbush
Sam Wanamaker	...	Teddy Benjamin
Barbara Barrie	...	Harriet Benjamin
Mary Kay Place	...	Pvt. Mary Lou Glass
Harry Dean Stanton	...	1st Sgt. Jim Ballard
Albert Brooks	...	Yale Goodman
Alan Oppenheimer	...	Rabbi
Estelle Marlov	...	Vocalist at Wedding
Everett Covin	...	Bandleader
Robert Hanley	...	Arnie
Lee Wallace	...	Mr. Waxman
James Dybas	...	Photographer

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | Canada:PG | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Norway:12 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Angel's Gate Park - 3601 Gaffey Street, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

P.J. Soles, who plays Pvt. Wanda Winter also plays Stella the following year in the army flick Stripes (1981) with Bill Murray.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: After Judy has arranged her posting to Europe, there are aerial shots of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower. This is followed by a voice-over of Judy describing how lovely it is "here in Belgium". The next shot shows her posting location - S.H.A.P.E. headquarters, which actually is in Belgium - followed by another shot with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Why would she live in Paris if she works in Mons, 2.5 hour's drive away?

Quotes:

Judy Benjamin: You did Claire's *dishes*?

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Puss 'n Boots (1982)

Soundtrack:

Hava Nagila

A very cute and enjoyable comedy

Gosh, I don't know how many times I passed this movie up in my mom's collection. But I never really had an interest in this film, but my mom told me what a great comedy it was and that I should give it a chance. So, finally, today I got some time and watched it and I'm glad I did. Private Benjamin is a great comedy staring then new comer Goldie Hawn. I didn't realize how much she was meant for comedy, I've seen some of her work like Overboard and Death Becomes her, but usually she has the supporting cast helping her in the comedy, this time she was on her own and did great.

She plays Judy Benjamin, a 29 year old whose been married twice, her last husband died on her, literally, had a heart attack while he was making love to her. So, since she has always been taken care of, a stranger helps her out and recruits her in the army showing her the AFTERMATH of what she could have in the future, but she thinks that she's getting all the good stuff immediately. Therefore, she becomes the princess of the boot camp, but after a harsh talk with her folks, she realizes she needs the army and to become strong. She ends up meeting a suave French man and gets transferred to Paris after graduation, but she soon realizes who she needs most in life: herself.

Private Benjamin is a great comedy that I think anyone could get a little kick out of. It has great jokes and fun moments that I had a good time watching. Not to mention, Goldie Hawn is just so adorable and you definitely want to keep rooting for her during the film, she's just great.

7/10