Synopsis
A sheltered young high society woman joins the US Army on a whim and finds herself in a more difficult situation than she ever expected.
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Cast
- Goldie HawnJudy Benjamin
- Eileen BrennanCapt. Doreen Lewis
- Armand AssanteHenrí Trémont
- Robert WebberCol. Clay Thornbush
- Sam WanamakerTeddy Benjamin
- Barbara BarrieHarriet Benjamin
- Mary Kay PlacePvt. Mary Lou Glass
- Harry Dean StantonSgt. Jim Ballard
- Albert BrooksYale Goodman
- Alan OppenheimerRabbi
Recommendations
- 75
Chicago Sun-Times
Private Benjamin is refreshing and fun. Goldie Hawn, who is a true comic actress, makes an original, appealing character out of Judy Benjamin, and so the movie feels alive, not just an exercise in gags and situations. - 70
The New York Times
Mr. Zieff demonstrates great skill in keeping the gags aloft and in finding new ways by which to free the laughs trapped inside old routines about latrine duty, war games, forced marches and calisthenics. [10 Oct 1980, p.C6] - 70
Newsweek
Even when the film capitulates to its predictable feminist battle cry, director Howard Zieff maintains his poise, demonstrating the gift for light comic timing he showed in Hearts of the West. But the best reason for seeing Private Benjamin is Goldie Hawn, who proves herself a comic leading lady of the first order, a Cinderella in reverse who could charm the brass off the Joint Chiefs of Staff. [20 Oct 1980, p.84] - 70
The New Yorker
The script goes from one formula to the next, and it reworks the pranks of generations of male service comedies, but the director, Howard Zieff, refurbishes the stale material with smart small touches, and Goldie Hawn has such infectious frothy charm that she manages to get laughs out of ancient routines about a tenderfoot going through the rigors of basic training. - 60
Empire
This is arguably although unfortunately Goldie Hawn's most memorable role. For while she embodies the character perfectly and when the jokes are funny they are hilarious, sadly there just isn't enough to keep the film going and it begins to run out of steam half way through, with an attempt at a deeper meaning ruining the film. - 50
Variety
The trouble may be with the use of too many screenwriters who have been told to always keep their star’s image uppermost in their scribblings. But she’s not so gifted that she can carry a heavy load of indifferent material on her own two little shoulders, without considerable sagging. - 50
TV Guide Magazine
Hawn makes the most of the script, written by Nancy Meyers, Charles Shyer, and Harvey Miller, providing many funny moments in her performance. - 40
Time Out
Another depressing example of the big-screen gag-string sitcom, it turns exclusively on a plot that grew from a concept that developed from an idea that somebody should never have had - Goldie Hawn joins the army.
