Private Benjamin

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

1980 1h 50m EN

😐

6.0

MID

🍅

84%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.2

IMDB

★6.0TMDB · 430🍅84%Rotten Tomatoes●59Metacritic★6.2IMDB · 30,363

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

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

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Cast

Goldie Hawn
Judy Benjamin
Eileen Brennan
Capt. Doreen Lewis
Armand Assante
Henrí Trémont
Robert Webber
Col. Clay Thornbush
Sam Wanamaker
Teddy Benjamin
Barbara Barrie
Harriet Benjamin
Mary Kay Place
Pvt. Mary Lou Glass
Harry Dean Stanton
Sgt. Jim Ballard

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Howard Zieff
Writers: Charles Shyer, Nancy Meyers, Harvey Miller
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.7× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

46 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Howard Zieff, shot by David M. Walsh. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bill Conti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sheldon Kahn shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Goldie Hawn and Eileen Brennan and Armand Assante carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The Army was no laughing matter until Judy Benjamin joined it.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0081375 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Howard Zieff directs. David M. Walsh behind the camera. Bill Conti scores. Sheldon Kahn cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.7× over at the box office.
246 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Howard Zieff, shot by David M. Walsh. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Bill Conti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Sheldon Kahn shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Goldie Hawn and Eileen Brennan and Armand Assante carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The Army was no laughing matter until Judy Benjamin joined it.".
8IMDB entry: tt0081375 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 19 themes, including "army", "strong woman", "paris, france", "change".