Comedy

Private Benjamin (1980) DVDRip (SiRiUs sHaRe)

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Private Benjamin (1980)

When her husband dies in the wedding night Judy decides to join the army. What looks like a bad decision at first, turns out not so bad at all. That is, until her superior makes sexual advances. She is transferred to NATO headquarters in Europe and (re)meets the Frenchman Henri. Judy and Henri decide to marry, but will they ?

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

Director: Howard Zieff

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081375/

Runtime: 109 mins

Codecs: DivX 5 / MP3

I can't understand why so many people hated this film, it's always been one of my favorite comedies. I will admit some valid points have been raised here regarding it's weak points. "Private Benjamin" is almost condescendingly feminist at times, particularly in the last half, and I say that in regards to the gross caricatures that the script gives us of stereotypical men who are out to control and manipulate women, as well as the women who are content to simply rely on men and marriage to give them an identity.

However, I think many people forget that this is a comedy and a satire. Like all good comedy, "Private Benjamin" gives us the chance to laugh at ourselves as well as its likeable protagonist. I think Goldie Hawn was great in this film, she really gives Judy a certain depth that goes beyond simply following the direction of the script. Her facial expressions are priceless and evoke some real laughs in the comedy segments, while the more thoughtful parts of the film give her a chance to reveal a vulnerability too. When Judy finally asserts herself as an individual in the film's conclusion, it really rings true thanks to Hawn.

Eileen Brennan is also classic here. She may be playing a one-note type of character, but she plays it to the hilt. Again, I don't think it's a crime that Brennan (and the military in general) are depicted as unpleasant, because it's also these same things that help Judy to find herself, and the film definitely shows the audience that, too.

The sudden shift from slapstick-type humor to a more subtle type of satire may seem jarring for some viewers, but for me I thought it was fine, since watching poor Judy go through hell in basic training would have been boring for an hour and a half anyway.

I get a real kick out of this movie even to this day. "Henri, look....there's Claire!"

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Thanks mainly to a clever script and the presence of GOLDIE HAWN and EILEEN BRENNAN, this is the kind of service comedy that brings back reminders of how this sort of thing was done back in the '40s with comedies like SEE HERE, PRIVATE HARGROVE or YOU'RE IN THE ARMY NOW or BUCK PRIVATES.

But this time, it's a woman enlistee who has to go through the rigors of boot camp (arguably, the best segments in the whole film and the funniest). Goldie is a spoiled rich girl who thinks the Army is going to be a respite from her problems as a woman who lost her husband on her wedding night. She's in for quite a learning experience and the gags come fast and furious for the first half-hour or so.

Then, when romance enters the story, it becomes rather uneven as she has an affair with a Frenchman, ARMAND ASSANTE, who turns out to be a first-class heel. By the end of the film, she decides to re-enlist rather than return to the civilian life she found so empty.

It's a decidedly uneven comedy, but Goldie's perfect comic timing and ability to switch gears when romance is called for, shows she had more dimension as an actress than anyone suspected. She was nominated for an Oscar for her Private Benjamin--and Eileen Brennan, hilarious as Capt. Doreen Lewis won a supporting role nomination.

Goldie's fans should love this one; and after all, it's not supposed to be taken seriously, it's all done tongue-in-cheek style.

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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.

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

* The poster and the video art for the movie is a parody of the poster for All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

* Penelope Spheeris was offered the chance to direct.

* According to Goldie Hawn's memoirs, Arthur Hiller was first choice to direct but pulled out of the project.

* Premiere voted this movie as one of "The 50 Greatest Comedies Of All Time" in 2006.

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