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Benji: For the Love of Benji
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Manufacturer: Good Times Video
Find all by Good Times Video
Directed By: Joe Camp
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Theatrical Release: June 10, 1977
Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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Retail Price: $9.98
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Starring: Patsy Garrett, Benji, Cynthia Smith, Allen Fiuzat, Ed Nelson
Studio: Gaiam Americas Release Date: 08/17/2004 Rating: Nr
User Submitted Benji: For the Love of Benji Reviews
July 25, 2008
A Very Unique View of Greece
The camera is mostly kept at the height of the dog. You'll experience (late 70's) Athens like NEVER before - at about 2-3 feet off the ground! Watch it and you'll see what I mean. It's wonderful and truly unique.
My cousins are the little Greek kids running around in the ticket line at the Houston, Texas airport at the beginning of the film.
As a Benji adventure this one is so-so. Don't expect the same level as the Disney Benji movie. Might be too old (clothes/hairstyles) and slow moving (sometimes boring) for some kids these days.
The four stars are for the interesting/unique footage of Athens (camera at dog height).
March 24, 2008
BENJI
WELL, IF YOU ENJOY THE ANTICS OF DOGS, YOU WILL ENJOY THIS ONE. I RECOMMEND IT HIGHLY.
July 31, 2006
Run, Benji, Run!
This second film consists mostly of scenes of Benji running. That doesn't have to be a bad thing. The first Benji film consisted mostly of scenes of Benji running, too, but it was quite good. This follow-up isn't as good, but for other reasons.
On the positive side, returning writer/director Joe Camp stuck with something unusual that he did in the first film--he did the film from a dog's point of view. That doesn't mean that the film is in first person from Benji's perspective. Imagine more a dog directing. The content, kinds of shots and kinds of angles are mostly what a dog might do. It made the first film, with its very unusual structure, a success, and it more or less makes this one, which also has an unusual structure, well, not exactly a success, but it makes it "kinda work".
A couple factors bring the success rate down a bit. The story takes place in Greece this time--in a move that seems like maybe the crew and cast wanted a paid vacation in Greece--and a lot of dialogue is in Greek, without subtitles. Although interesting for adults, that's a particularly odd move for a family film, and the goal here is definitely to make a family film--Camp even announces this at the very beginning onscreen.
Also odd for a family picture, most of the human-sourced interaction in the film features people attacking or chasing Benji--with chloroform, with meat cleavers, with fruit, with a big mean Doberman, and with guns. Not that it's graphic in any way, but the concept is there, and Benji's running is mostly precipitated by unfriendly people chasing him.
There is a complex plot involving scientific research, where they want to use Benji for nefarious goals, and where Benji seems to be world-famous, all of which is never explained very well. Heck, most of the dialogue about this is in Greek, although the science-oriented stuff is very sketchily explained in English at the end. Benji being so well-known is never explained.
And a final problem--even though the first film was also as if directed by a dog, there were important human characters who had some depth to them. That's not the case here. Benji's owners are hardly in the film and the villains are almost completely non-developed the short amount of time that they're in the film.
So we're left primarily with Benji running and running through Greece. Through airports. Through the city streets. Just outside of the city near some ancient ruins. The scenery is nice and nicely shot, Benji does some neat trained actions, and insofar as Camp explores everyday dog stuff, the film is rewarding. Heck, the chased-by-villains scenes are pretty rewarding, too, even if plotwise, you don't know exactly what's going on or why it's going on.
This may be the worst Benji film (and I don't know yet, since I'm just rewatching them now after not seeing them for many years), and it may not be a great film for kids for a couple reasons, but it is still very mildly recommendable, especially for fans of Benji films and animal films in general, or for anyone who wants a glimpse of what Greece was like in 1977. It's also amusing to note how much Benji looks like Ron Wood.
January 11, 2005
Harmless but terrible
I am stunned by the other reviews. This movie is harmless and okay for the young and completely undiscerning, but really terrible in most aspects: story, camera work, editing, and acting. A previous reviewer compared it to Babe and that is truly unfair to Babe -- to its fine story, good acting, and sweet message. For the Love of Benji looks like a ten year-old made it with a video camera. About half of the movie is Benji walking back and forth.(I suppose they needed these shots to fill in for the plot that wasn't there.) However, these scenes are preferable to the incredibly poor acting of the human characters and the ridiculous, albeit mercifully limited, dialogue. If you want to rent something to show to a five year- old that you can walk away from and not have to worry about content, Benji is it. If you want to rent something you can actually watch with your kids without being completely stunned by its badness, watch Babe, Finding Nemo, Mary Poppins or any of the other dozens of truly good kids' movies out there.
September 8, 2004
benji pulls you in
this is a very good movie, and it seems like a real situation. The dog is trained very well. if you like this, you might wanta see the first Benji, Benji's Christmas, or Benji the Hunted. Benji the hunted made me cry hysterically, but it was still very good. Also you should see the newest Benji movie: Benji off the Leash. It's in theaters right now!!! I saw it, and it was really good!!!
July 12, 2004
Good but not as good as the first one!
I rented this thinking it might be good as the first one and it's ok but the first one I really like the most. This one is about he takes a trip to Athens, Greece. He enjoys the trip but he gets lost and tries to find his family. The Greece theme is really annoying but it mostly has the the same score from the first one. The first Benji I think is great out of all three the other two is not as good but Benji is still a classic!
January 3, 2004
Benji secures his fame as the world's most huggable hero
For the Love of Benji takes the world's most huggable hero all the way to Greece, but this wonderful Greek vacation becomes a nightmare for Benji even before he is loaded on the plane. A bad guy drugs him and tattoos something on his paw, and when he finally get to Greece alongside his girlfriend Tiffany, he finds himself camping out in a storage area for misplaced baggage. He manages to get out of his crate and escape, only to find himself lost and all alone in a strange new city - hungry, tired, and frightened, missing Tiffany and Paul and Cindy Chapman. The bulk of this film follows Benji in his seemingly impossible search to find his family. He searches in vain, becoming more and more depressed, but he does manage to make one new friend. Still, he has to guiltily steal food in order to live, and if all that isn't bad enough, several strangers including that bad man who drugged him back in the airport are doing all they can to nab him. Benji has risked everything to save his friends in the past, but now he has to use all of his intelligence and leg power just to keep himself alive while he strives valiantly to find and be reunited with his family. There's an underlying storyline, of course, of the bad guys and their evil plot, but what really matters here is Benji. The film builds up to a thrilling conclusion that almost equals the emotional power of the original Benji movie.Some people may not know that the Benji of For the Love of Benji is not the same talented actor who starred in the original Benji movie. Higgins, the original Benji, was fairly old when he made Benji a household name in 1973, and the role of Benji for this second movie was played by Higgins' daughter (who was actually named Benji). Yes, this Benji is played by a female, but it does not matter. What is obvious is that acting ability courses powerfully throughout the Benji bloodline, as this Benji gives a simply amazing performance, in some respects bettering that of her dad in the original. There is much more action in this film, much of it taking place on the busy city streets of Athens; this little dog really has to run his legs off in this movie as well as navigate many obstacles and perform a number of actions that only Benji could do. He also faces a menacing, large, unfriendly canine enemy and has to avoid a number of gunshots. Most importantly, he has to show a wide range of emotions, as well, and this dog is truly an incredible actor. When he is supposed to be frightened, he really and truly looks frightened; the guilt he feels over having to steal food is obvious; the forlorn look on his face as he searches in vain for his loved ones looks heartbreakingly real; and when he is supposed to stop and think about his next move, you can almost literally see the wheels of his mind turning inside his head. Even the smallest and shortest of expressions - perking up at a certain sound, reacting to a smell, breaking out in excitement when he thinks he sees one of his family members - are performed with a level of skill few human actors could ever hope to rival. I think the original Benji film will always be my favorite, but For the Love of Benji is not far behind. Children will probably enjoy this film more than the original because of all the action scenes it showcases. This Benji, just like her father Higgins, is among the most talented actors to ever grace the big screen, and I can't imagine my childhood (and don't plan on living my adulthood) without the presence of this greatest dog of them all.
November 22, 2002
Another Great Movie!
In the sequel to "Benji", kidnappers target someone else - Benji! As Benji tries furiously to get back to his family, and escape from his kidnappers, there some really great scenes. My personal favorite is where Benji grabbs a string of hot dogs and takes off down the street! This isn't as good as Benji, but it is worth watching anyway.
October 20, 2000
Love for Benji
The film FOR THE LOVE OF BENJI should be added to all family video collections. It picks up where the previous movie leaves off. The family goes on vacation and brings their beloved mutt Benji with them to a foreign land. Benji once again faces adversaries but manages to make new friends along the way. This movie is about a dog with a heart of gold. If you enjoyed the movie BABE, you will surely enjoy watching Benji's adventure unfold in this film.
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