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Private Benjamin

Private Benjamin

Comedy · 1980

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.

Movie details

Private Benjamin

“The Army was no laughing matter until Judy Benjamin joined it.”

1980 Comedy 1h 50m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.9 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Private Benjamin?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Heavyweights

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Stripes

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Action · 1981

Hard-luck cabbie John Winger, directionless after being fired from his job and dumped by his girlfriend, enlists in the U.S. Army with his close pal, Russell Ziskey. After his barely satisfactory performance in basic training, the irreverent Winger emerges as the figurehead for a ragtag band of misfits. However, his hijinks threaten to cause an international scandal when he inadvertently commandeers a military assault vehicle behind enemy lines.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Howard Zieff

Written by

Nancy Meyers · Harvey Miller · Charles Shyer

Goldie Hawn

Goldie Hawn

Judy Benjamin

Eileen Brennan

Eileen Brennan

Capt. Doreen Lewis

Armand Assante

Armand Assante

Henrí Trémont

Robert Webber

Robert Webber

Col. Clay Thornbush

Sam Wanamaker

Sam Wanamaker

Teddy Benjamin

Barbara Barrie

Barbara Barrie

Harriet Benjamin

Mary Kay Place

Mary Kay Place

Pvt. Mary Lou Glass

Court is in session

Put Private Benjamin on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Popcorn Loyalist

“It owes the canon nothing.”

The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.

The prosecution The Big-Idea Head

“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”

It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.