The spoilt Private!

This morning review is for the film, Private Benjamin staring Goldie Hawn.

Judy Benjamin is a spoilt rich girl who is getting married to a wealthy man. Unfortunately on her weeding night her husband has a heart attack and dies. The grieving widow is at a loss what to do and how to get on with her life so she phones a radio show for help. She receives a call from a very nice man and they arrange to meat to discuss her future.

The man Judy meets is an Army recruitment officer and Judy is offered a life of luxury and calm by joining up. Judy takes the plunge and signs on the dotted line. Unfortunately for Judy it is not as she imagined when she arrived for her basic training and she gets put through her paces and broken.

Will Judy be able to stick it in the Army and just what will her parents make of her decision?

I have seen bits of this film many times over the years but have never really sat down and watched the whole film, hubby really wanted to watch it so I reluctantly agreed. I was actually very surprised as the parts and the ending which I have never seen before were interesting and enjoyable to watch. The storyline was good and quite original and I think it was helped with the casting of Goldie Hawn in the lead role. It was not entirely believable but the comedy element made it very fn to watch.

Goldie Hawn did a great job in the role of Judy, she came across as a very spoilt girl at the start of the film and it was nice to watch her grow and change as the story moved on. She looked so much older than the 29 years we were supposed to believe she was but I managed to see past this and just enjoy the film for what it was. She looked so out of place when she first put her uniform on and her hair was so big but it was nice to see her get more comfortable as she got used to her new life. She did not have a very good relationship with the other girls in her regiment at the start of the film but this is what the story was supposed to be showing and the banter and fights they had were good to watch.

We did have a few good support roles in the film and my favourite was that of Captain Doreen Lewis, she was a hard faced woman who wanted her own way and really did not want Judy in her Army. She bought a lot of humour to the film and actor Eileen Brennan who played her did a great job. A few of the other actors in the film included, Armand Assante, Robert Webber, and Mary Kay Place, they all played quite different characters and bought a lot to the film.

The film was made in 1980 and this is very apparent right from the start of the film, it looks dated but at the same time is was funny to watch the old fashions and big hair and the latest technology which they used. I think it has aged pretty well as the story is good enough to carry the film. The costumes were all fitting for the story and the army uniforms were exactly how they were in this year. A lot of detail went into the Army side of the film, uniforms, sets and things they had to do and I did enjoy watching this.

We did have a few special effects in the film, although they were only very small ones, they were fitting for the style and age of the film. The music was also good and in keeping with the feel and theme of the film but it is not a soundtrack I would go and by separately.

There are a few good laughs in the film although I would not personally class this as a comedy. The way Goldie Hawn portrayed herself during her training gave us the most laughs and the private life of Captain Doreen Lewis gave us the rest. There is certainly not enough laughs for me to be able to say this ranks as a comedy film.

This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The running time of the film is 109 minutes and the rate is a 15. I do not fully agree with this rate and think people ages 13 and over would enjoy the film. The DVD can be bought for just a few pounds now but I would not waste money on it and would advise waiting for this to be shown on the TV again.

I am going to recommend this film and give it a good 3 stars, the story is good and so too is the acting, for me it was just missing a few more laughs to earn that extra star. It is dated but not overly so and is well worth a watch the next time it comes on the TV.