When Benjamin Browning (Chevy Chase) reaches Heaven, he is sent back to Earth as a dog by a man named Mr. Higgins. Higgins was the original name of the dog (1957-1975) who later became Benjean. In this movie, the dog is played by Benjean, the daughter of the original Benjean.
Chevy Chase told Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne that he has never seen this film, which he considers his worst.
The female dog Benjean was apparently the only actress to ever refuse to do a scene with Omar Sharif, according to the official "Benji" website. It states: "Omar's acting style is so intense, Director (Joe) Camp reports, that Benji could feel his intensity, and freaked out every time Omar touched him. This broke Omar's heart, and he was afraid the dog hated him, which was, of course, not true. In the end, to get the scenes, Camp wound up putting on Omar's coat, and being his hands in the scene(s)."
This was one of three Chevy Chase movies released in 1980. The other films were Caddyshack (1980) and Seems Like Old Times (1980).