Basic Training (1985) User Reviews (13)

"To the three f's. Flirty, foreplay and fffffun!"

[lost-in-limbo · 5/10 · 25 July 2010]

Something you would find on up late night TV, "Up the Military" is amusingly straight-forward, madcap 80s sexploitation comedy produced by none other than Playboy enterprises. The wonderfully attractive Ann Dusenberry plays Melinda -- a headstrong lady who moves to Washington with big ambitions to make some sort of difference. There she moves in with her friend Debbie and her ditsy flatmate Cheryl. Debbie manages to get Melinda a job at her work… the Pentagon. She starts off as an administrative sectary, but her boss Lt. Cranston seems more interested in getting to know her intimately than doing his work. However this isn't just her own boss, as all the military officers seem to have nothing more than sex and women on mind. This makes her uncomfortable, but she comes to the realization that she could use it to her favour to get what she wants and move up the ranks.

A capable Dusenberry is the film's backbone in a straight-laced performance, which transforms into seductive empowerment. Where she goes on to sensationally manipulate the sexual advancements to her own advantage. As she dominates and teases her way to the top, as she knows what makes these men weak at the knees. She played a very similar role three years earlier in "National Lampoon's Movie Madness", but this one is a lot better. The playful cast features some salty beauties in the shape of Rhonda Shear and Angela Aames who played the raunchy, free and easy characters Debbie and Cheryl. Will Nye is enjoyable as the patriotic, but sex craved Lt. Cranston. Director Andrew Sugarman's basic point and shoot handling keeps it quirky and smutty by upping the sleazy nudity and steamy sex quota with an interesting backdrop to set-up in. The military defence really does become the butt of the jokes. Some instances borderline on embarrassing, especially when the mushy music broke out to accompany the scenes of Melinda actually falling in love with a guy she met on a plane. But even with certain lame moments, it stayed watchable.

Typical staples and clumsy execution can't knock that it remains a fun digestible low-budget sex comedy.

Despite being mostly lame, Basic Training had a couple of funny scenes

[tavm · 3/10 · 22 June 2010]

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.

A Comedy with Its Fair Share of Gratituitous Sex and Nudity

[Uriah43 · 4/10 · 1 March 2019]

This movie begins with a young, naïve woman by the name of "Melinda" (Ann Dusenberry) arriving in to Washinton D.C. in the hope of finding a job and starting a new career. To save on money she moves in with an old friend named "Debbie" (Rhonda Shear) and her current roommate "Cheryl" (Angela Aames). And to make things even better they also assist her in finding a job at the same place where they work-the Pentagon. What they forget to tell her, however, is the culture of sexual permissiveness she comes face to face with on her very first day at work. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this comedy had more than its fair share of gratituitous sex and nudity with most of it being more crude than actually funny. But to be fair, there was some pretty good humor here and there which kept the film from being a total bore. Likewise, having the three aforementioned actresses certainly didn't hurt the scenery in any way either. In any case, while this clearly wasn't a good film by any means, I suppose it wasn't a total waste of time either and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.

Terrible

[Red-Barracuda · 1/10 · 13 September 2021]

The best thing I can say about this is that it was marginally better than Fat Guy Goes Nutzoid. But that's like saying I would prefer a kick in the testicles to a punch to the throat. This one is a sex comedy based around the Pentagon. There were literally no laughs whatsoever. Imagine Police Academy without George Gaynes or the man who made the funny noises? How is it possible to write a comedy script and not come up with any funny lines/ideas at all?! It's a disgrace! And you do end up asking yourself how does a screenplay this diabolical make it to the screen? And where the hell is Steve Guttenberg when you need him!? Next!

Nothing special. Not outright terrible. You could do worse.

[I_Ailurophile · 5/10 · 28 January 2023]

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.

Ann Dusenberry is beautiful and a waste of talent!

[craigolopukis · 4/10 · 8 December 2009]

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.

A Flat Out Borefest...

[moviemaniac81 · 1/10 · 9 September 2001]

This movie gets my vote for the "Biggest piece of crap ever portrayed on film" award. I'm not kidding either. This movie had NO laughs at all, and I fell asleep TWICE trying to watch this utter mess of a movie. To make an example , "Basic Training" makes "Billy Elliot" look like "The Shawshank Redemption". Now that's bad.

An awful thing to behold.

[Goodday-3 · 1/10 · 8 January 2010]

This so-called movie was a waste of film and time. I had great hopes for Rhonda Shea at the time this lame porno was released. Rhonda should have simply avoided the entire project. I would wager it hurt her more than anything else I have seen her in. Yes.... actors are supposed to act... but not at any price. You have to have perimeters and standards to live up to. Basic Training had almost nothing going for it. Even the sound was bad. It appeared at the Robert E. Lee theater in New Orleans (Rhonda's home town) and it was a low quality heart breaker to all her local friends. There were people walking out of the theater as the movie went on. Into each life any number of mistakes must come. This was certainly one for the book. ....... Chucky B Woodenhead.

Down with this film!!

[anxietyresister · 1/10 · 15 September 2005]

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

Finally a movie to shed some red light on the war machines of these modern times

[tim_sparks · 1/10 · 27 July 2010]

This is "I spit on your Grave" meets "Stripes," as long as you give Bill Murray some great big mammoth hooters and remove all ability to act from him and all his costars. And add some naked shenanigans. And disembowel the plot, and get the crew drunk before rolling the cameras.

This genre-raping foray under the skirt and into the wide open legs of the United States Military is a penetrating yet ultimately impotent one-eyed glimpse into what's wrong with our national defense, if by "national defense" I mean "production value of most risqué movies shot in the 80s." Its come hither skin bare plot can really rev up your engine and cause your flagpole to tent in the post patriotic way. Assuming you are doped up on enough caffeine to give an elephant the shakes.

The deliberate (?) non-acting of the "threes company wannabe" female costars is right up there with Leonard Nemoy's Strawberry Fields forever performance. I'll always remember the "toss the groceries 3 inches through the air to your friend" moment. No matter how much therapy I go through.

My favorite moment is when the lead tells the other girls that she was wondering when any actual work got done at her job, all she saw was skirt chasing. And the other two bimboobles cackled.

Oh wait, no, my favorite moment was when I shut the movie off and tried to cut my jugular with a spork from Taco Bell. I owe my pal Dave big-time for stopping me and prying the spork from my hands and talking me down from a bad decision. Anyways that was my favorite moment, the shutting of the movie off. It will be your favorite moment too, no matter when it happens.

The perfect companion-piece to any other movie that needs a movie like this next to it in order to make that movie seem great.

A liitle bit more than basic

[videorama-759-859391 · 6/10 · 23 August 2022]

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.

How did this happen?

[ezoangelofdeath · 1/10 · 25 October 2021]

As a youth, I was constantly trolling the C-Band for any nudity I could find, I knew all the good ones from about 80 till 88, and many of the raunchy comedy's were mainly providing one thing to the viewer, and it wasn't laughs, I remember this movie came on and right off the bat it opens up with a cheesy porno sounding song, and boobs, immediately, but this movie didn't use boobs like most of these movies, this movie and the people who made it, seeing I never heard of one actor or actress in this, couldn't even pull off good nudity, the fact I don't remember one part of this movie I found funny, even as a horny 10 year old, even Fraternity Vacation had stuff I found amusing as a kid, like I don't even know if this was a comedy, I thought it was, but it's like the most mundane, stone faced literally no thought inducing garbage possibly ever, and I have seen some trash, whoever wrote this obviously put zero thought or effort into it, and then on top of that, they screwed the nudity up, how is that possible? IDK but it is, and they did, I'm sure this will never see any type of current format, so if you just gotta see this, hunt down the VHS,but you might as well just sit and count to 1000 or watch air, cause it will be more mentally stimulating.

Junktastic

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 6 May 2020]

I love that this movie had the working title Up the Pentagon, like the abortive 1980 Mad Magazine movie Up the Academy. It's the only movie ever directed by Andrew Sugerman, who has executive produced movies like Shopgirl, Death Sentence and Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever.

Ann Dusenberry, Tina the beauty queen from Jaws 2, is Melinda, a newcomer to the Pentagon who is shocked by the way that they sexually harass her. For a few minutes, I was thinking that this 1985 comedy was incredibly woke and ahead of its time.

Then I realized that I was watching a 1985 sex comedy and that Melinda will instead use her sexual wiles to get back at everyone via a campaign of her own harassment and making old men think she's going to sleep with them.

Angela Aames from Fairy Tales and Chopping Mall - she was also Linda "Boom-Boom" Bangs in H.O.T.S. - and Rhonda Shear of USA's Up All Night are also in this.

Tying into my love of spy films, Walter Gotell plays a KGB head. This is a role he knew well, what with playing General Anatol Gogol in The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View To a Kill and The Living Daylights. He's joined by Marty Brill as an American general.