Scott LeBrun The title character is a stray mixed breed who makes his home in a run down old house outside a small Texas town. He regularly makes trips into town, and is proven to be pretty popular. Among his human friends are a cop (Terry Carter), a cafe owner (Edgar Buchanan), and the Chapman kids (Cynthia Smith, Allen Fiuzat). Their loving but strict father (Peter Breck) won't let them take the dog in, as he has something of a prejudice against stray dogs. But little Benji endears himself to everybody when he works overtime (and I do mean overtime) to thwart the criminal gang (Mark Slade, Christopher Connelly, Tom Lester, Deborah Walley) who end up kidnapping the kids.This now legendary film can take its place as one of the all time great family films, with not much in it that could be seen as objectionable or traumatizing for the younger ones. A gun is pulled out, indicating some high stakes, but nobody ever gets shot. And the kids aren't treated all THAT badly by their kidnappers.You don't necessarily have to be a dog lover to be charmed by Benji, who's one of the most impressive canine actors one is ever likely to see. On occasion, the film does get perhaps too precious and manipulative, especially during montage sequences. One centers around Benjis' courtship of his new girlfriend, another mix who gets named Tiffany by the Chapman family maid (Patsy Garrett). The human cast (also including Frances "Aunt Bea" Bavier, in her final film) is all quite good, but our title character truly is the heart and soul of the piece.Made on location in Texas, this benefits from good local flavor and atmosphere by writer / producer / director Joe Camp, who created for himself a beloved franchise that has stood the test of time, with a Netflix reboot planned for this year.Looking back on it now, it's hard to believe that Camp was obliged to create his own distribution company since apparently no studio in Hollywood wanted to touch the script! Shows you how much they know.Nine out of 10.

Dalbert Pringle You know, I never thought that I would ever say this about any dog-star - But - The truth is, when it came to the likes of Benji, I hated this particular canine celebrity, big-time. I really did.Yes. Had Benji actually shown some honest-to-goodness talent as a well-trained animal, then, of course, I would've gladly forgiven him his generally unappealing screen-presence.But, not only did Benji give me the creeps just to look at him, but, he was virtually a talentless schlep, as well. Yep. Benji was one dud-of-a-mutt on all counts.On top of my not taking a liking to Benji, at all, I also thought that this Comedy/Drama, in general, stank like pure doggy do-do. It was an utterly horrible example of movie-making that only a very young and simple-minded child could find entertaining.All-in-all - This "dumbest-of-the-dumbest" movies made my skin crawl with revulsion and it bored me to tears from beginning to end. I can't believe that this stupid movie made this stupid mutt a star - But it did! Arf! Arf!

SurpriseIIIIIIIme Full marks to Joe Camp for making such a beautiful film!.... Its all too easy for the dog lovers to absolutely fall in love with the movie, and Benji.....but this movie will always have the ability to change people from dog haters to dog lovers .... Benji is absolutely fabulous in this rendition of a street dog who has a certain way of living with with the people in the city.What changes things is the kidnapping of Benji's human friends. But what is beautiful about the movie is that without using the crutches of special effects (read - talking animals), the expressiveness of Benji in various stages of the movie with just the barking to help is fabulous..... he falls in love (with another beauty of a pooch)...questions using his eyes, flaps his ear to express doubt, rolls on the grass to impress Tiffany (the pooch!)... the works!!! ...Benji impresses!... and how...!... It doesn't take too much to know that the acting abilities of the humans in the movie aren't too much to talk about. But maybe that just enhances Benji's talent....You would fall in love with BEnji and have tears flowing down your cheeks when they do the close-up on his sad eyes....Yes, I am a dog lover.... but Benji .. he is the love of my life!

JasparLamarCrabb The dog can act...unfortunately nobody else in the cast of this silly and oddly plotted children's film can. A stray yet very clever dog insinuates himself into the lives of two motherless children, much to the chagrin of their bitter and cold-hearted father. In what can only be described as Dickensian, the evil widower forbids his children --- who may or may not be mentally challenged --- from playing with Benji. Neither the children nor Benji obeys. Soon the children are kidnapped and Benji has to help the police find them. It's only then that the old man realizes that Benji is good, not bad.Tom Lester, whose only previous acting experience appears to have been playing the dim-witted Eb on GREEN ACRES plays one of the kidnappers. So does the regrettably over-utilized Deborah Walley. Walley's previous screen triumphs include BEACH BLANKET BINGO and the woeful IT'S A BIKINI WORLD. She also played both Gidget and Tammy in the past and here attempts to obliterate her good-girl reputation by playing it bad! STAY away from BENJI...he's a dog and this movie is a dog!