Private Benjamin
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Private Benjamin
Plot
Devastated when her brand-new husband Albert Brooks) drops dead on their wedding night, Jewish American princess Judy Benjamin (Goldie Hawn) is receptive to the pitch delivered by a duplicitous recruiter for the Women's Army Corps. Quickly adivsed by topkick Captain Lewis (Eileen Brennan) that she should not look forward to the private room, fancy clothes and sauna bath that she'd been promised, Judy is forced to go through basic training like any other "grunt". This turns out to be a real growth experience for the pampered Private Benjamin, who for the first time in her life has to work for her privileges. A brief misadventure with a lascivious paratroop officer (Robert Webber) nearly sours Judy on army life, but she turns out to be a darned good soldier-and a woman with a highly developed sense of self-esteem, which enables her to weather a further disappointing romantic fling with French phsycian Henri Tremont (Armand Assante). Private Benjamin turned out to be one of Goldie Hawn's most profitable vehicles. The 1981-82 TV sitcom spinoff starred Lorna Patterson in Goldie's role, with Eileen Brennan repeating her film characterization of the long-suffering Captain Lewis. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviReview
Private Benjamin is a beloved film, a rallying call for burgeoning feminists and one of Goldie Hawn's most recognizable star vehicles. However, its narrative is also a mess and only funny in spots. The film doesn't understand what it wants to be -- a goofy military sendup or a tale of a spoiled young woman growing into independence. A smarter script would have had it both ways, but this one meanders, jumping in and out of the barracks and finishing with a third act that has nothing to do with the armed forces. If it had been filmed in the 1990s, Private Benjamin might have taken place entirely within basic training, centering on the struggles of Hawn's Judy Benjamin as she makes painful but funny strides to trade her jewelry for artillery. That might have been too tight and formulaic, but at least it would have been internally consistent. As is, the film jumps from a funny opener involving the absurd death of Judy's new husband (Albert Brooks), to Judy's pronounced difficulties in training, to her sudden rebound to head of the class, where she scores an assignment so select that only men had received it. Little explanation is given for her transition between these stations. And the third act, involving her engagement to a French skeezeball (Armand Assante), can only be considered a very dated, and hollow, feminist victory. The best way to explain the widespread appeal is the viewing public's much-deserved adoration of Hawn, who has some brilliant moments and became one of the most reliable comedic actresses of her generation. When Private Benjamin does trust its sillier instincts, it's a winner. ~ Derek Armstrong, RoviCast
- Goldie Hawn - Judy Benjamin
- Eileen Brennan - Capt. Doreen Lewis
- Armand Assante - Henri Tremont
- Sam Wanamaker - Teddy Benjamin
- Harry Dean Stanton - Sgt. Jim Ballard
Credit
Betsy Cox - Costume Designer, Jerry Sobul - First Assistant Director, Howard Zieff - Director, Sheldon Kahn - Editor, Goldie Hawn - Executive Producer, Bill Conti - Composer (Music Score), Robert F. Boyle - Production Designer, Jeffrey Howard - Production Designer, David M. Walsh - Cinematographer, Goldie Hawn - Producer, Nancy Meyers - Producer, Harvey Miller - Producer, Charles Shyer - Producer, Arthur Jeph Parker - Set Designer, Bob Peterson - Special Effects, Marty Bolger - Sound/Sound Designer, Nancy Meyers - Screenwriter, Harvey Miller - Screenwriter, Charles Shyer - Screenwriter| Private Angelo (1949 Film), Private Affairs (1940 Film) | |
| Private Buckaroo (1942 Film), Private Collection (1989 Film) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Private Benjamin
For the 2011 Philippine film, see Private Benjamin (2011 film).
For the television series, see Private Benjamin (TV series).
| Private Benjamin | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Howard Zieff |
| Produced by | Nancy Meyers Harvey Miller Charles Shyer Goldie Hawn |
| Written by | Nancy Meyers Charles Shyer Harvey Miller |
| Starring | Goldie Hawn Eileen Brennan Armand Assante |
| Music by | Bill Conti Barry De Vorzon |
| Cinematography | David M. Walsh |
| Editing by | Sheldon Kahn |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | October 10, 1980 |
| Running time | 109 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million |
| Box office | $69,847,348 |
Private Benjamin is a 1980 American comedy film starring Goldie Hawn. The film was one of the biggest box office hits of 1980,[1] and also spawned a short-lived television series. The film is ranked 82 on the American Film Institute's "100 Funniest Movies" poll,[2] and 59 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies".[3]
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Contents
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Plot
Judy Benjamin (Goldie Hawn) is a Jewish-American woman who joins the U.S. Army after her new husband dies on their wedding night during sex. Duped by a sneaky recruiting sergeant, Jim Ballard (Harry Dean Stanton), who lets her believe military life to be more glamorous than it is, she has a rude awakening in boot camp. After getting in trouble constantly, Judy wants to quit but chooses to stick it out, and has a series of adventures which eventually lead to promotion.
During her service, Judy meets Henri Tremont (Armand Assante), a dashing French doctor. However, their romance is short-lived when he returns to Paris and she to her army career. Later Judy manages to be assigned to SHAPE in Belgium, and she meets up with Henri again. He proposes marriage; she accepts, but when Captain Lewis (Eileen Brennan), her boot camp officer, discovers that Tremont is a communist, Judy is forced to choose between giving up her army career or leaving him to continue her service.
After she chooses Henri over the Army, Judy discovers Henri's controlling side, when he tries to 'remake' her, and when forced to sign a prenuptial agreement in his favor. Then, when she finds out Henri is still madly in love with an old flame (his ex, Clare) and has cheated on her with their maid, she realizes that she is capable of doing whatever she wants, and that she doesn't need Henri for that. She walks out on him at the altar to go and live her own life.
Cast
- Goldie Hawn as Private Judy Benjamin
- Eileen Brennan as Captain Doreen Lewis
- Armand Assante as Henri Alan Tremont
- Robert Webber as Colonel Clay Thornbush
- Sam Wanamaker as Teddie Benjamin
- Barbara Barrie as Harriet Benjamin
- Mary Kay Place as Private/2nd Lieutenant Mary Lou Glass
- Harry Dean Stanton as 1st Sergeant Jim Ballard
- Hal Williams as Sergeant L.C. Ross
- P.J. Soles as Private Wanda Winter
- Craig T. Nelson as Captain William Woodbridge
- Albert Brooks as Yale Goodman
- Alan Oppenheimer as Rabbi
- Lee Wallace as Mr. Waxman
Awards and nominations
Private Benjamin was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Goldie Hawn), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Eileen Brennan) and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.
American Film Institute recognition
- 2000: AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs #82
Television series
Main article: Private Benjamin (TV series)
In 1981, Private Benjamin was made into an Emmy and Golden Globe-winning television series of the same name starring Lorna Patterson, Eileen Brennan, Hal Williams, Lisa Raggio, Wendie Jo Sperber and Joel Brooks (it originally aired 1981-1983). Brennan and Williams had reprised their roles, that of Captain Doreen Lewis and Sergeant L.C. Ross, from the film for the television series.
Remake
In March 2010, Anna Faris has been cast to portray Judy Benjamin in a remake of Private Benjamin from New Line Cinema. Amy Talkington is in talks to write the script and Mark Gordon is set to produce.
The new take will set the story in contemporary times with modern wars as the backdrop. Insiders say the studio doesn’t want to poke fun at the people in the service or take political potshots, but rather focus on the empowerment elements and build on the fish-out-of-water comedy.[4]
See also
References
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1980
- ^ "Private Tutor". Infoplease.com. http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0882207.html. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
- ^ "Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies" on Lists of Bests". Listsofbests.com. 2006-06-02. http://www.listsofbests.com/list/7092?page=2. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
- ^ "Anna Faris to star in 'Private Benjamin' remake (exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. http://riskybusiness.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/03/30/anna-faris-star-private-benjamin-remake-new-line/. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Private Benjamin |
- Private Benjamin at the Internet Movie Database
- Private Benjamin at AllRovi
- Private Benjamin at Box Office Mojo
- Private Benjamin at Rotten Tomatoes
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