Benji (1974)

That was an excellent one.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Excellent adaptation.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

My daughter is 13. She wants to get a dog. We were talking about that tonight, and somehow the conversation got around to what we would name the dog if we got one. And the name "Benji" came up in the discussion. I told her about the movie of the same name and looked up the theme song on You Tube and played it for her. Then - a brainstorm. I bet the movie is on Netflix! Sure enough it was. Did she want to watch it? Yes! So my wife and daughter and I sat down and watched "Benji." What a nostalgia trip! I saw this movie way back when it came out. There has never been a cuter dog in the movies than Benji, and there has never been a better family movie than "Benji." It's funny (and just plain fun), it's heartwarming, it's romantic in a weird sort of way - after Benji meets Tiffany, it's kind of sad. It's all of that and jumbled together and it ends exactly as you know it's going to end. It's a great movie.Benji, of course, is a stray. His story (of how he became a stray) does finally come out in a flashback during the movie. He lives in an abandoned house, and every day he travels around the neighbourhood, meeting up with a variety of people he's made friends with - including two little kids who have a dad who doesn't want a dog. Suffice to say that ultimately the two little kids get kidnapped and it's Benji who has to come to the rescue, with happy results all around.It's sometimes a bit too sappy, and the acting (from the humans) isn't that great - but there truly has never been a better family movie made, and it includes a theme song (the wonderfully feel-good "I Feel Love," by Charlie Rich) that will not leave your head for days after you hear it. Watching this brought back only the best memories of my own childhood. I saw it at a time when I desperately wanted a dog but couldn't have one. Now I've come full circle. My daughter wants a dog. After watching this I think we're one step closer to getting one. (9/10)

A little slow if you've never seen it before or have no frame of reference(like I didn't) for Benji initially. I think it may be way too slow for most of the ADHD crop of kids today. But, trust me, if you're a mature movie watcher, then you'll be rooting for Benji to find a home and wonder just how that positive outcome would come about. They had a really creative way to add drama to it, too.Benji is like the Urkel of dogs without the clumsiness. Thirty to forty minutes are spent just giving you a ballpark figure of how smart he is. Then, the end tells you exactly how smart! This dog is probably the smartest dog in the history of TV and I know that you've had some really, really smart dogs before, but I don't think they are anything like this! Most smart dogs are kids with hyper memories and shepherd ability! Look at this dog and you'll "swear" you were looking at a man with those capabilities! He trains a dog, remembers things that keeps him safe, acts better than anyone on set, carries out a complex routine every day, and masters human psychology so well that he might be smarter than your average adult! I bought this movie on a whim and definitely do not regret it all! On this type of movie, many white folks reviews might mean little--as they are mostly animal lovers and a movie like this is easy for them to fall in love with--but I'm a black man that has no frame of reference to Benji and would not be considered an animal lover at all!

Full marks to Joe Camp for making such a beautiful film!.... Its all too easy for the dog lovers to absolutely fall in love with the movie, and Benji.....but this movie will always have the ability to change people from dog haters to dog lovers .... Benji is absolutely fabulous in this rendition of a street dog who has a certain way of living with with the people in the city.What changes things is the kidnapping of Benji's human friends. But what is beautiful about the movie is that without using the crutches of special effects (read - talking animals), the expressiveness of Benji in various stages of the movie with just the barking to help is fabulous..... he falls in love (with another beauty of a pooch)...questions using his eyes, flaps his ear to express doubt, rolls on the grass to impress Tiffany (the pooch!)... the works!!! ...Benji impresses!... and how...!... It doesn't take too much to know that the acting abilities of the humans in the movie aren't too much to talk about. But maybe that just enhances Benji's talent....You would fall in love with BEnji and have tears flowing down your cheeks when they do the close-up on his sad eyes....Yes, I am a dog lover.... but Benji .. he is the love of my life!

If you are like me and observed the original "Benji" phenomenon from afar, finally seeing the movie for the first time 30+ years later, you may be shocked to discover how truly awful it is, and more mystified than ever about its popularity back in 1974.My judgment is not entirely objective as I tend to have a favorable bias toward children's films and for that reason cut them considerable slack. On the other hand I have always hated this particular dog, a feature on the last couple seasons of "Petticoat Junction". Never a great show, the dog-less early episodes were at least a nice showcase of beautiful actresses and the introduction of the dog cut into their screen time.Benji is an 86-minute mega-dose of the dog, following him on several daily circuits through the town of McKinney, Texas. If this sounds boring you would be advised to give "Benji" a wide birth and to never let your remote control fall into the hands of a "Benji" fan (if there are still any out there). Unlike "My Dog Skip", "Monkey Business" or "Because of Winn-Dixie" the human actors in the cast are extremely weak. "Big Valley's" Peter Breck plays the standard stern father and just seems to embarrassed at the idea of appearing in something this lame. If one of your children (of any age) appears to be finding "Benji" entertaining you should consider cutting back on their medication.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.