Private Benjamin Details

At a time when everyone was looking for a star vehicle for Goldie Hawn, she turned up in this high octane tale about a Jewish princess who joins the US Army. It is basically a one-joke effort, but that joke has Hawn throwing herself with great gusto into the role of a bewildered spoilt brat who comes good, and her Oscar-nominated performance has huge charm. If only director Howard Zieff had allowed someone else to get a look in — the members of the supporting cast are mere satellites around a perky sun — and the screenplay had been broadened to contain more than just gags about broken fingernails. Even so, Eileen Brennan (as best supporting actress) and the writers also received Oscar nominations.

Half-assed attempt at combining slapstick, character study, sentiment, sex and a recruiting poster. Some funny moments don't really make it worth sitting through.