Private Benjamin (1980)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

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 | NATO | Wedding Night | Wedding | War Game

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:

Judy discovers another woman's jewelry in her bed and accuses her fiancé of cheating on her. The same thing happens to Goldie Hawn's character in Shampoo (1975).

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: Has anybody ever died from basic?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Rain Man (1988)

Soundtrack:

Body and Soul

Didn't Bill Murray Remake This Movie?

A harmless, cute movie that rests nearly entirely on the talents of two women: Goldie Hawn and Eileen Brennan.

Hawn is an expert comedienne and her string of late 70s/early 80s comedies are nearly all perfectly watchable now. Brennan is a total hoot as a drill sergeant who you love to hate. The movie is basically an all-female version of "Police Academy" or "Stripes" (which would come out a year later).

I don't have anything else to say about this movie but I have to have ten lines of text to get my comment approved.

Grade: B+