Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

One of my all time favorite dog movies,, and I have quite a few dog movies in my collection,, Benji doesn't have a home, and he has places that he goes everyday on his route, but most especially he always stops by this house that has a couple of kids,, they play with him,, feed him and all of that,, well later in the movie , the poor children get kidnapped, and now it's up to Benji to find out where these little children have gotten off to. Meanwhile the parents and the police conduct their own search, and canvas the neighborhood, this movie is very heartwarming and not to be missed, don't wanna say much more abuot the movie as not to give anything good away,, but there is one scene with some peanut butter cups, that is just hilarious and not to miss,, all animal lovers this is a must have in you're collection.

Not a bad flick...I regret that I saw sequels before having seen the original. Benji is a lovable character who hustles everyone in the neighborhood with charm and charisma. Two kids , children of a doctor, want to give him a home there with them, but the doctor has all kinds of phobias against canines and will not hear of it. Benji finds a girlfriend ( no kidding) and shares food and his secret hide-away--a deserted house--with his new acquaintance...until fate steps in and dictates the direction of the action. The kids are victims of a plot and Benji--and his girlfriend--come to the rescue using what measures they can muster. It's really cute, though it gets a little ugly when the bad guys appear...and there seems to be an un-explained flashback of sorts that Benji has regarding an incident with firearms. This, to my thinking, should have been developed a little better to convey to the audience that this was a motivating factor for Benji's actions...and why. But, one can suspend sensibilities if a dog is intelligent enough to convince you that he knows what is going on and has the best interest of people at heart , and that applies in this instance. Besides, since he was a homeless dog, there may have been myriad instances that were unpleasant remembrances...still it is nice when the writers and the directors let us in on what happening by way of full disclosure. But, it's a nice flick, the kids will love it, and adults will too. It's early seventies so that pacing of the film is not quite as frantic as it would become some seven or eight years down the road. See the movie.

Beloved tale of hero "Benji" ("Higgins" the dog) who is many different things to many different people. In his busy day "Benji" grabs breakfast at the house of two young children, has a chat with an officer of the law, chases an old lady's cat and reminds an aging café owner to start on the day's special. Helper to some, amusement to others, he is companion to all.Trouble arises when his young friends are kidnapped and taken to the abandoned mansion that he calls home. From here on we know only "Benji" can save the day.Plot is routine from writer/producer/director Joe Camp, and he does tend to over do the slow motion effects. Audiences though will find it hard to resist the lovable little pooch, and kids of all ages are sure to adore him. Cast were never going to be anything but background to "Benji".Not what you'd call inspired, but fun family fare. Academy Award nominee for "Benji's" theme, "I Feel Love".Saturday, July 13, 1996 - Video

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.