Goldie Hawn walked away with a Best Actress Oscar nomination, Eileen Brennan got a Supporting Actress nomination, and the film got a Best Original Screenplay nod, and it entertained millions of people, and arguably empowered a lot of women. The end of the 70s and the 80s were a different time.

Predating Stripes by a year, the films bear similarities: someone you are led to believe should not be in the military, and there’s no way they can make it in the service, joins up for reasons, wackiness ensues, and they prove that, while different, the Army is the best place for them after all.

Judy Benjamin got married and became a widow on the same day when her husband (Albert Brooks) suffered a heart attack. Absolutely wrecked and unable to find a way forward, she finds herself in the Army. With a Captain, Lewis (Brennan), who hates her, and a squad that seems to turn against her, Benjamin has a tough time until a meeting with her parents.

Then she realizes she can make a go of it and proves herself repeatedly, much to Lewis’ upset. She gets her postings, has her clashes, which she deals with fantastically, but you now know things are going to escalate to a boiling point before the end of the film. Because guess who has ended up in the same posting… Lewis.

There are pranks, training exercises, sex stories (which felt revolutionary at the time; men talking so blatantly about sex was one thing, but women? Gasp! It’s brilliantly funny), and lots of familiar-looking faces, including Craig T. Nelson, Richard Herd, Armand Assante, and Mary Kay Place.

Goldie Hawn is absolutely perfect in this role, with the script tailored specifically to her abilities. She’s an absolute delight in this film and looks amazing in the uniform. She is able to balance the comedy and the developing love story with Assante with ease.

And when things change with Assante’s Henri Tremont, Judy Benjamin will find out what kind of woman she really is.

I never saw this one as a kid; R-rated films were a bit of a no-go when I was growing up until my parents finally gave in and let me watch whatever I wanted. I do remember the short-lived television show.

Hawn is fantastic; her supporting cast is wonderful. I just wish there had been a little more Lewis towards the end of the film. I don’t necessarily like that the film took her out of the Army for the latter part of the film. I think there was stuff with Lewis that could have been done, which could have empowered both characters in new ways.

Still, it’s a damned solid film, and Hawn is a star; she’s impossible not to adore.