Basic Training

I appreciate how very low-budget this is; if moments rolling past this or that landmark aren't stock footage, then they may as well have been. And why not pause the image for a few seconds on such scenery, or recycle some shots, just to help pad out the length that tiniest bit? Factor in a rudimentary plot with thin sketches of characters, both serving merely as an excuse for innuendo, sex jokes, gratuitous nudity, and sex scenes - hey, that's a movie! The set dressing and wardrobe are just enough to get the job done, as are the acting, the direction, and for that matter the writing... Look, this is no must-see. I wonder if anyone ever needs to see it ever, unless you're a huge fan of someone involved. But if you're looking for something silly and light that you don't need to actively engage with, or if you're just bored or curious, I suppose there are worse things than 'Basic training' that you could watch.

If you enjoy "sex comedies" as a genre, this is probably right up your alley. I guess my point of concern is that it takes the cheap and easy road at almost all times. There are bits of cleverness here or there, a gag or a line that come off well, and I suppose writer Bernie Kahn deserves credit for finding ways to insert innuendo anywhere and everywhere. I appreciate the tongue-in-cheek core concept of idealistic Melinda being forced to change her tune to get anywhere with those ideals. At the same time, it's very easy to imagine how this could have been smarter, and more fun. For one thing, in some measure this is definitely intended as a parody or maybe a satire of the United States government, and specifically of its military management (think 'Canadian bacon,' or 'Stripes'). Such facets are pretty much only a vehicle for that very same sex comedy, however, so the intelligence that could have gone into witty mockery of the halls of power doesn't really go anywhere. Alternatively, the writing and even the set design - almost uniformly geared strictly toward those same raunchy ends - are so outrageous that the picture is a half-step away from being a parody of the sex comedy. I'm distinctly reminded to some extent of John Waters' imperfect yet underrated 2004 romp 'A dirty shame,' that embraced every most farcical notion and ran with it. 'Basic training,' however, earnestly wants to be that cheesy, sleazy sex comedy, and it never especially aims higher. Ah, what this could have been.

It's not outright bad. Even as someone who doesn't broadly care for sex comedies, I think this is entertaining on some baseline level, the sort of thing you put on when you just want to space out. I'll even go so far as to say that in the narrative and scene writing alike there are parts of this I genuinely like; were Kahn of a mind to approach his screenplay with more sincerity, well, there would probably be more praise in my words now. Andrew Sugerman seems like a perfectly capable director. As it stands, of course, the feature prioritizes All Things Sexual over anything else, so whatever other value one may discern basically ends up being an incidental bonus. This includes, for example, Walter Gotell playing a cheeky variation on General Gogol, the Soviet official he revisited multiple times in Eon Productions' James Bond franchise; on the other hand, the climax where we see Gotell the most is paired with a concurrent scene that just lingers too long, as is true of some others. All told I think 'Basic training' is a good time; only, one way or another, it's nothing super special, and not essential by any means. Save it for a lazy day, and let's just leave it at that.

A young virginal graduate goes to work at the Pentagon as a typist, where she is promptly hit upon by anything with a pulse. Meanwhile, the two female nymphomaniacs she shares a house with show her what she's missing. Completely dire in every aspect, this low budget sex comedy doesn't even feature very attractive women.. which is the least that should be expected by its genre. The jokes here wouldn't pass muster in a Confessions film with Robin Askwith, and half the cast seem to have been dragged off the streets. In fact, this film is so inconsequential and pointless, it isn't worth writing anything else about it. So I won't. 1/10

If your a fan of Ann Dusenberry or Rhonda Shear, this film is worth watching. If you think the ladies in this dorky 80's flick are not worth looking at, renting this movie is a waste of time. Of course, the plot is god awful, but to be expected in this low budget 80's flick. I personally like it only because i am a big fan of Ann Dusenberry. I didn't expect this movie to be decent at all, but there are some funny moments in this film. Like i said before, a lot of talent is wasted in this film, because any moron can write a better script than this. If your a fan of Ann Dusenberry, i recommend renting Jaws 2 or Lies. In Jaws 2, of course she played one of the teens and was the receiving end of viewing a horrific death. In Lies, she basically is strapped to the bed all movie with some intriguing underhand schemes.

You probably would of painted this off as just a T and A adult comedy, which it is, but one with style and laughs, and of course, Dusenberry, such a hot lass, if in reality, I'm pretty sure you would give up your military secrets. She arrives in Washington in search of a job. Her hot friend and roommate, sets her up with a job in military personnel in the, yes.... Whitehouse, only this is not your ordinary Whitehouse where not much filing, folding, typing gets down. Soon Duseberry becomes her own boss, and the strip scene in front of our horny old Russian colonel, is enough to get any hormone racing and blood pumping. I just didn't expect this to be as higher quality, this pic. We have lots of naughty sex, nudity, some horny young oversexed men, a nympho, and a Romeo Dusenberry falls i love with, providing a nice little montage music score. I really like the sharp comedy too. AKA Up The Military isn't a bad T and A pic, but I didn't say good. The movie just has a bad of heart, and of course, not much sense. Sexually melting Dusenberry makes up for all of that, and her friend's not that bad either. The old Colonel's a bit of a laughful asset as well.

You know, this sex comedy that actually played at our local Cinema 11 moviehouse at Bon Marche Mall (both now no more) in 1986 was something I had long wondered about concerning its sexually oriented humor. Well, I've now seen it on fancast.com and while I thought most of it was pretty lame and stupid, I did find a couple of scenes funny. The first was when Melinda (Ann Dusenberry)-after having enough with her superior at the Pentagon harassing her-decided to, on the advice of her best friend Debbie (Rhonda Shear), talk dirty to him on his phone and his reaction when he...you know. The other one was when another of her bosses was obviously getting serviced but the reporters she brings in just talk to him nonchalantly asking him questions that unintentionally, to them, become a series of double entendres. I think I might have chuckled on a few more lines and scenes but otherwise, Basic Training was pretty lame. Still, there's ample eye candy of Ms. Dusenberry, Ms. Shear, and their other roommate in Angela Aames as Cheryl both clothed and unclothed. So if that's what you're looking for...P.S. Ms. Shear came from New Orleans, which is a couple of hours from my current hometown of Baton Rouge in Louisiana.