A sheltered young high-society woman joins the United States Army on a whim and finds herself in a trickier situation than she ever expected.A sheltered young high-society woman joins the United States Army on a whim and finds herself in a trickier situation than she ever expected.A sheltered young high-society woman joins the United States Army on a whim and finds herself in a trickier situation than she ever expected.
- Nominated for 3 Oscars
- 1 win & 6 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaGoldie Hawn signed onto Private Benjamin in June 1979 and went through boot camp training for six weeks.
- GoofsWhen the girls are in the war games and capture the Red Team truck the Sgt throws the keys away. Army vehicles do not require keys to start. The ignition is hardwired to a start button on the dash. EDIT: Every vehicle in the Army then required a key. If the vehicle did have a starter button (a switch on floor akin to the old headlight dimmer switches in cars) it would still be secured when parked by a chain welded to the floor and running up through the steering wheel and secured with a padlock. You can start it, but you can't steer it unless you have the key. Throwing away the key isn't a factual mistake.
- Quotes
[after sex]
Judy Benjamin: Now I know what I've been faking all these years.
Henri Tremont: That was your first?
Judy Benjamin: And second.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue:
When Judy Benjamin was eight years old, she confessed her life's desire to her best friend.
"All I want," Judy whispered, "is a big house... nice clothes, two closets, a live-in maid, and a professional man for a husband."
Today, all of Judy's dreams come true.
- SoundtracksHava Nagila
(uncredited)
Israeli folk song
played at Judy and Yale's wedding reception
Featured review
A funny comedy
This film is about a unfortunate young lady whose husband dies on their wedding night. She copes with her sorrow by mistakenly enlisting in the United States army.
"Private Benjamin" is very funny! Even the film is already thirty years old, the jokes are timeless. The scene that Goldie Hawn explaining that she is sent to the wrong army is hilarious. Well, actually the whole section about her adjusting to the fact that Army life is not a holiday is hilarious. Even though I have seen similar story lines before, it is still hilarious. If only all the comedies stood the test of time like "Private Benjamin"!
"Private Benjamin" is very funny! Even the film is already thirty years old, the jokes are timeless. The scene that Goldie Hawn explaining that she is sent to the wrong army is hilarious. Well, actually the whole section about her adjusting to the fact that Army life is not a holiday is hilarious. Even though I have seen similar story lines before, it is still hilarious. If only all the comedies stood the test of time like "Private Benjamin"!
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- Gordon-11
- Mar 28, 2011
- How long is Private Benjamin?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $9,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $69,847,348
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,739,769
- Oct 12, 1980
- Gross worldwide
- $69,847,348
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