In 1980 Private Benjamin was one of the biggest box office hits of the year and landed three Academy Award nominations, including one for star Goldie Hawn. Many people regard it as a classic. And to them I ask: have you seen it lately?
The movie is a feminist tale about a rich debutante that has lived her entire life for the purpose of finding a rich husband. When Judy Benjamin's second husband dies on their wedding night, she collapses into despair and is lured by a recruiter into signing up for the Army. She struggles at first and clashes with a mean officer, she eventually stumbles into being all she can be, and then finds herself and her place in the world.
As a feminist story about women asserting themselves, choosing their own paths, and refusing to be dependent on (or in service of) men, it can be interesting – but it is dated. It might have been daring in 1980 for a big Hollywood movie to have women joking about orgasms and sexual dissatisfaction, but, perhaps thanks to movies such as Private Benjamin, it now seems too familiar. Heck, more than 20 years ago Seinfeld, a network TV sitcom, premised an entire episode about a character bragging about how good she is at faking orgasms. Sometimes when you push the edge and have success, the trade-off is society may accept it into the mainstream and the edge is lost. The overall message is fine but not delivered with much practical resonance and little retained humor. Hawn's signature ebullience sustains it for moments, but the film peters out into a repetitive and un-energetic second half. Howard Zieff’s direction is purely functional studio work.
Screened on Warner Archive Instant.
No comments:
Post a Comment