Flying in the face of the complete indifference of those who read this blog, I’m sticking with the comedy tip with this popular army comedy from 1980. Goldie Hawn stars as Judy Benjamin, a late-20’s Jewish woman who has lived in something of a family bubble until the abrupt death of her second husband causes her to question her ways. This is a comedy drama that won Hawn and co-star Eileen Brennan Oscar-nominations back in the day, but the adult tone and prankster humour have made it a difficult fit for the cult canon.
Of course, ‘Goldie Hawn joins the army’ is a studio-friendly high concept, most effectively seen when Hawn is seen in fatigues and tin helmet, soaked in pouring rain. Benjamin’s progress through the ranks makes up the first half of the film, as she get recruited (a neat one-scene Harry Dean Stanton does the honours), then comes into conflict with her superiors, notably Brennan as Captain Lewis, and Robert Webber as Colonel Thornbush, who makes unwanted advances when she fearfully pulls out of a parachute jump. ‘I’d call it rape,’ Benjamin tells her when he attempts to back-track; for a light comedy, Benjamin doesn’t pull many punches. Indeed, the second half of the film features pretty much no military humour, as Benjamin moves to France and falls under the spell of Henri (Armand Assante), the latest in a long line of arrogant, controlling men she encounters.
So Howard Zeiff’s film, co-written by Nancy Meyers, is less of a knockabout Stripes comedy as a story of feminist awakening, clearly marked out when Benjamin flashes back to all the men she’s unwisely loved during the climactic wedding ceremony. Every man she meets blames her for her own behaviour, even her parents want her committed to a mental hospital, but this film, produced by Hawn herself, makes it clear that it’s not Benjamin who is mad, it’s the men around her that make it hard for a woman to succeed without playing a sexual card in the favour.
A huge hit in 1980, this is a comedy light on laughs, but heavy with insight into the problems of being a woman. It’s decidedly modern in its willingness to call out misogyny, and while the comedic elements fade fast, the sensitivity to Benjamin’s emotional journey makes it way-ahead-of-its–time for 1980.
Well I DID like Private Benjamin, so there. Though it isn’t really a comedy as you say, so my complete indifference is still intact.
I docked it a star for lack of laughs, but I liked the film overall. Thank YOU for this positive comment, I retract my complaints…
That won’t last long.
There was nothing Goldie couldn’t do that I wouldn’t have watched–and I still keep going to many of her adorable early roles (Butterflies are Free is a fave). This film however, is almost totally overshadowed by the singular “I’m coming” joke that just wasn’t that great a joke. I remember it making my old man laugh heartily, and that was the sign of low-brow for me! :p Love my dad, but his sense of humor is not refined. 🙂
weird construct in that first sentence, I meant of course, I’d watch basically anything she did. Especially Laugh-in as the little painted dancing cutie.
Right! But when I think of Hawn, I don’t think of calling out the patriarchy, and she gains in my estimation for parlaying her ditsy image into roles like this. I guess Fonda was in the same journey circa 79 and 80…your old man sounds like a good laugh!
“Flying in the face of the complete indifference of those who read this blog, I’m sticking with the comedy tip…..”…..I say: Good for you! Always blog what you enjoy the most! I love Goldie Hawn by the way. Have you seen her with Mel Gibson in Bird on a wire? I loved that film! (See…there are comedies I like too😂😂). Can’t tell much about this one, since I haven’t seen it 😅😅😅
Bird on a Wire drove me mad, all she did was scream, the whole way through. Bloody awful. 😘
…is the correct answer. Bad film.
Hmmm….Now I’m tempted to review it! 😂😂😂
Step away from Bird on a Wire! No good will come of this!
Hahaha😂😂😂 Oh gotta love this comment😂😂
Well, I have to admit I really liked it hihi 😂😂
I thought I’d missed this one, then you mentioned Assante and it did click. I guess I saw this around the time it came out but I’d completely forgotten it. Not as many laughs as Stripes.
It’s notably short on laughs, particularly in the second half, but it’s a much smarter movie than I remembered. I guess age does that to you…when I was a teenager I just wanted to see Hawn drive a tank through a wall…
Phhh, she didn’t shave her head. This movie loses all credibility!
😉
She’s no Demi Moore in GI Jane, that’s very true!
and as we all know, GI Jane was the pinnacle of Military Movies!
It is the Gold Standard by which you can sift the chaff from the wheat in regards to reviewers. If a reviewer doesn’t compare every military movie ever made to GI Jane, in some way, you know that reviewer is an amateur and a shoddy workman…
But not miltary comedies, not many laughs in GI Jane, much as I enjoyed it….
EVERY military movie. If there is a military angle, a good reviewer will work GI Jane into their review.
Even something like Braveheart….
Are you saying I’m NOT a good reviewer! -sulks
I’m just sayin’ you didn’t talk about GI Jane in this review….
I know what you’re saying. GI Jane wasn’t even imagined when this movie was made, so Demi didn’t fit my polymath cogitations. I’ll review GI Jane just for you…
Demi Moore is the pinnacle of actresses in my opinion. Charlie’s Angels 2? Yes please.
So you’re a polymath too? Huh, nice to meet you. Us polymaths have to stick together against the hordes of hoi poloi…
I’m a polymath when it comes to Demi Moore. And that’s something you can’t blame on Rio…
I just read the imdb page on that movie. That’s disturbing!
I have complete access to what you’re looking at online. That’s the benefit of sitting in a van outside your house…
Man, I knew we had a bromance going on, but I didn’t realize it had upped its game to stalker mode!
I guess the next step IS a pizza conglomeration. I’ll handle the pepperoni and you can deal with the anchovies. The big step is who we want to team up with? Here in the States Pizza Hut and Dominoes are big chains. What’s popular over there?
Anchovy Master and Broccoli-R-Us are the two big ones. We could do a literary tie-in like this..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PwE4F4ZgNk
Oh, THAT was incredible! I want our pizza brand to have funny advertisements like that.
Ok, we need to hire someone funny, as we’re both pretty stodgy, serious guys. Who do we hire to write funny ads for us?
Us. I could be funny deliberately for money, and you’re always good for a giggle.
Ok, so we’re going to hire ourselves. I think to prevent a conflict of interest I’d better hire you while you had better hire me.
I want our Pizza Dictatorship to be above board and not a whiff of a scandal.
Now, we have to talk about pay. We probably should discuss this with each other before talking with the new hires. Wouldn’t want them to feel in competition with each other.
Let’s make an appointment with ourselves and see if we turn up…
Good call. No point in hiring ourselves if we don’t even show up for an interview!
Man, you just can’t hire good workers anymore.
Right, I’m not hiring myself if I don’t even show up!
Whoa, whoa, whoa. I’M hiring you. You need to take a step back buster. You deal with YOUR hires and I’ll deal with mine.
Is this the first move in a hostile takeover? Wait a second, did Broccoli-R-Us hire you to destroy my dreams of a World Wide Pizza Dictatorship?
Frakking-A, where’s my tin foil hat!?! Those Exec’s at B-R-U are trying to mess with my mind….
Right, maybe I need a more stable business partner. Alex? Michel? Fraggle? Anyone?
Fraggle says “Nope!”
She says that to everything, just about.
😀
Yep. Nope.
That’s a mixed message right there!
“Fraggle says “Nope!”” = yep
“I need a more stable business partner. Alex? Michel? Fraggle?” =Nope.
seems quite straightforward really.
So can I put you down as a ‘maybe’?
Nope.
-sigh