Private Benjamin (1980)

A woman who has just been through a devastating experience is coaxed into joining the army. She is not the soldier type, however.

I was more than willing to enjoy this film, for the reason that Paulo Francis once spoke very well of it. This is the kind of trap that adds the misfortune of spending two unpleasant hours of your life to the sadness of seeing one of your cultural icons be demoted from that position. Anyway, perhaps in part due to my favorable disposition, I rather enjoyed the first half hour or so, and then my annoyance grew gradually and steadily. To tell the truth, there was one sequence that I found moving, namely, when Judy is visited  by her parents at boot camp and suddenly revolts against them. Also, the movie's very last scene has a lyrical quality to it, although the situation that gave rise to it ranks among the most over-used cliches of cinema. Also, this film is a curious case of Jews "sticking their necks out", and I recall that the year before there was The Frisco Kid which also did that. In the case of Private Benjamin, however, the critique is bland to say the least. For the most part, this film is just another case of Hate the Men indoctrination, a favorite topic of recent cinema, and justly so, given that female audiences bring big bucks to the industry, and it has the added bonus of winning the minds of a few weakly-defined men in the process.

Rating: 40