Myron Clemons
A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
Kirandeep Yoder
The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.
Celia
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Cassandra
Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
Hunky Stud
I am surprised about this low rating for this movie. Well, i loved it myself.First of all, you know that this is a comedy, so you shouldn't take everything so seriously. They may act silly and childish, but it was all for good fun.Second, the casting is good, especially between Jessica Simpson and Ryan Sypek. Those two certainly have some good chemistry, they used their eyes to flirt with each other.Third, some of the musical score were good. One particular piece was when they were eating the chocolate bars.Unlike some comedies which are full of overt gross sexual content, this movie is clean. And I can definitely watch it for a second time. Too bad, it is unlikely that they are going to make a sequel. I myself would love to see what Valentine and Sergeant Evans do in the next movie.
stina4242
I was waiting for this movie to come out since before her last one was released and could not believe how long it was taking and how they skipped the theater release. I mean Jessica got a lot of harsh criticism for this role but I think she nailed it. I was expecting it to be awful since it went straight to DVD, but I was pleasantly surprised.This movie was actually really funny and she did great in this role! I wish people wouldn't be so hard on her and hope her career in either movie or music does not end anytime soon.Seriously worth watching!
Blueghost
I grabbed the DVD off of the local Blockbuster new release shelf. One shouldn't judge a book (or film) by the DVD cover, but I guess I'm a sucker for a hot-blonde in military uniform. I knew not to expect too much of it, and, well, that's kind of what the viewer got, but there was a bit more here than meets the eye.Years back when Goldie Hawn did Private Benjamin there was a lot of hype about the comic and comedic overtones of "Private Benjamin". But, it turned out to be a serious film with humor sprinkled in here and there. "Private Benjamin" was funny, but it wasn't light entertainment. It had some social commentary and other messages to convey to the audience. In this regard I was personally let down by "Private Benjamin", although I understand it as a quality film, and appreciate it as such."Private Valentine", on the other hand, is cut from a different cloth. It takes the Goldie Hawn film, removes the heavy undercurrent meat and replaces it with a light frothy soufflé. Jessica Simpson doesn't play the heavily laden woman nearing a conjuncture in her life, and is taken in by a more than slick military ad campaign. Simpson's character starts off as a lightweight star who wants to be taken seriously, but is not given the opportunity because of both the roles she's given, and the deeper reason of why she's given said roles. It takes Uncle Sam to turn her into "An army of one", so to speak. And a one-woman wrecking crew she becomes.Unlike Private Benjamin, the Cold War is over, so there's no "Red menace" and/or scare to play off of. The sexual tension in this film is kept light and romantic, as opposed to the expose on abuse that Hawn's film portrayed. In short, it's light entertainment. "Private Valentine" is meant to be nothing more than that.Having said this, and having a loose and tacit respect for this film, I do admit that it could have been executed better, particularly in the first act. The beginning of the film seems cobbled together, and not thoroughly vetted as it could have been. The whole movie seems to have been a bargain production, though not quite as low as a B-movie extravaganza. As such the exposition and staging are somewhat restrained.Jessica Simpson herself is actually quite good in this role. In fact, everyone does a good job, but I was particularly impressed with Simpson's acting ability, and this comment comes from a man who is not one of her fans. There was no heavy emoting to be doe here, but Simpson did show us a diverse set of acting abilities. If the directing had been tightened up a little, then this film, Simpson included, could have really shined and exceeded all expectations.As it stands now it's just light entertainment. Don't expect a remake of "Private Benjamin", because it really isn't. It takes the premise of that film, and, in a sense, turns it on its head to create something mildly enjoyable, and not overly wrought with social commentary, drama and character angst.Not a great film, but then it was never meant to be one. Just something to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon. If you go in not expecting too much, then you should be okay with it. The only warning I'd give is that it's a proverbial chick-flick. So, to my fellow testosterone comrades, try not to be overly critical of it.Give it a shot.
moviedude1
Jessica Simpson stars in this film released direct to video about a movie starlet who goes from bombing in the movie industry to bombing in the Army, First Sergeant Fox on her case every inch of the way.Bomb! Bomb! Bomb! This film is so awful that I can't believe I made it all the way through. The surprising thing about this film is how bad it seems after Goldie Hawn did it almost thirty years ago. Save yourself the money, and the embarrassment of someone you know seeing this under your arm when you walk through Walmart, buying this DVD, and watch the original, "Private Benjamin." 1 out of 10 stars.