For the Love of Benji (1977)

Absolutely Fantastic

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

My Dad & I went to watch this movie when it first came out we enjoyed it have watched different times since.

I have given this film a 7. My Dad would take me to the video shop once a week and I would, without fail, come home with 'For the love of Benji'I loved this film and have fond memories of it. It is clever as it was one of the first films made from a dogs point of view. It showed how intelligent and perceptive dogs are - they know good people from bad people almost instantly.It also shows how sly, cunning and resourceful they can be when made to fend for themselves.It did have a few heartstring pulling moments, when Benji is generous with today's spoil.. being separated from loved ones and reunited again.I think children today would still enjoy this film.. regardless of the amount of running Benji does.

Benji, that adorable dog, is supposed to be in a happier situation after the first film. He is a beloved family member and a pampered pooch. When some family members decide to go to Greece, Benji gets to go along. However, there are doggynappers lurking nearby and Benji is almost seized upon. But, being the brilliant dog that he is, Benji manages to escape their clutches and begin exploring a lovely city in Greece and its surroundings. He helps himself to a bit a Greek pasta at a restaurant and has a close call with a Doberman, among other things. Will he be able to find his way back to his family? If you love dogs and family films, this is a good choice. It is mostly Benji on the loose in Greece, where the scenery is a knockout, and where Benji gets in and out of one scrape after another. There are a few iffy passages, where guns are flashed and Benji is subjected to chloroform. However, this is mostly a little dog on the run in a charming movie. Families everywhere, for the love of Mike and Benji, please locate this one for an entertaining evening of fun for your loved ones.

This movie uses the same plot devices and cinematography as the first one, but it has a lot of long, pointless sequences that make it drag on. The first one had a lot of action/reaction on the part of the dog, in part because the dog was more aware of what was going on. In this one, Benji is part of an intricate plot that not even the audience understands until the end. Obviously Benji acts in ways natural to a dog in a strange place, but he doesn't get much chance for heroics until the very end. All in all, I still like this film, but I just don't like it as much as the original.