IMDb > An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
An Officer and a Gentleman
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An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 4)
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) -- A young man must complete his work at a Navy Flight school to become an aviator, with the help of a tough gunnery sergeant and his new girlfriend.
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) -- A young man must complete his work at a Navy Flight school to become an aviator, with the help of a tough gunnery sergeant and his new girlfriend.
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   15,510 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Taylor Hackford
Writer:
Douglas Day Stewart (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for An Officer and a Gentleman on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
13 August 1982 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
It will lift you up where you belong. more
Plot:
A young man must complete his work at a Navy Flight school to become an aviator, with the help of a tough gunnery sergeant and his new girlfriend. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 13 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(15 articles)
Dance Your Ass Off with Ruben and Lisa Ann Walter!
 (From MovieWeb. 2 September 2009, 12:33 PM, PDT)
An Interview With Buffy Sainte-Marie, Plus Train and Digital 45 Updates
 (From Huffington Post. 13 August 2009, 2:45 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
A Few Factual Corrections and a Comment more (98 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Richard Gere ... Zack Mayo

Debra Winger ... Paula Pokrifki

David Keith ... Sid Worley

Robert Loggia ... Byron Mayo
Lisa Blount ... Lynette Pomeroy
Lisa Eilbacher ... Casey Seeger

Louis Gossett Jr. ... Sgt. Emil Foley
Tony Plana ... Emiliano Della Serra

Harold Sylvester ... Perryman

David Caruso ... Topper Daniels
Victor French ... Joe Pokrifiki

Grace Zabriskie ... Esther Pokrifiki
Tommy Petersen ... Young Zack
Mara Scott-Wood ... Bunny (as Mara Scott Wood)
David Greenfield ... Schneider
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
124 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Filipino
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Finland:K-16 (re-rating) | Finland:K-18 (original rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Iceland:12 | France:Unrated | South Korea:18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Chile:18 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (PCA #26387) | West Germany:16 (w)
Filming Locations:
Bremerton, Washington, USA more
Company:
Lorimar Film Entertainment more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
John Denver was offered and turned down the lead role. He later said it read like a "1950's movie". more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Gunny Seargent Foley has Zack Mayo doing push ups in the sand pit, it's noticeable that his forearm sleeves are already wet from getting into a prone position to chew the recruit out, before he actually does it. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Mayo: [whispered to sleeping father] Hey.
[flashback to Manila]
Byron: Hey, kid! Are you Zack?
Young Zack: Yes, sir.
Byron: I'm Byron; nice to meet you. Come on, let's get your bags, OK?
Young Zack: Yes, sir.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "Family Guy: Mother Tucker (#5.2)" (2006) more
Soundtrack:
Feelings more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
28 out of 33 people found the following comment useful.
A Few Factual Corrections and a Comment, 18 January 2006
8/10
Author: Gator1955 from United States

First, there is not, and never was, an Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS) in Washington state. I would assume it was used because the true locale for AOCS, Pensacola, FL, wasn't suitable for some reason. Officer candidates going to AOCS already have their degrees and are undergoing training, physical and educational, to earn their commission. No, it's not four years like the Naval Academy, but then again, it's not four years of hell at the Academy, as another reviewer attempted to posit. Any officer commissioned through AOCS is an officer just like an academy grad and both, ultimately, can end up with regular commissions vice reserve commissions.

Next, the training at AOCS was fairly accurately portrayed in the movie. Lots of running, swimming, academics, inspections, etc. all intended to result in the individual becoming part of a team. Another reviewer, obviously not a Republican (LOL), detests this movie just because of his perception that it endorsed the philosophy of the Reagan years. Utter balderdash, of course. What this movie portrays, again fairly accurately, is the growth of a loner into someone who realizes, as Spock so eloquently stated in one of the Star Trek movies, "(t)he needs of the many outweigh the needs, or the wants, of the one or the few." Mayo learns to be part of a team; he learns to care for others and cease being a "user" of people in his life...an example he learned from his father.

The terminology, during the 80s when I went through AOCS, was still DOR..."Drop On Request." It was an "out" exercised by very few people, mostly because those of us in AOCS were already motivated to come into the Navy and specifically into Naval Aviation. The rigors, as stated previously, are presented fairly accurately although a little melodramatic in places, e.g., the altitude chamber. Never in all my years in the Navy did I see anyone "freak" out in the chamber, which is a required test, along with swim quals, every four years to remain qualified to fly.

The legend of the "Pensacola Debs" was presented to us early on in AOCS. Yes, there are stories, many of them true, of men meeting their wives while going through training in Penasacola, but I'd wager there's not a higher incidence in P'cola than there is at any military base or college town for that matter. Odd, but you put men and women in the same room and some will pair off, and some will marry and remain together forever. The bar in the film, TJ's, was based on a bar in Penascola named Trader Jon's. Trader had a running deal that if you caught him wearing matching socks, you'd get some prize...can't remember if it was money or drinks. Let's just say, he never paid off as far as I know. Trader died a few years back, but I'm pretty sure some of the stuff from his bar is probably at the Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola.

The Drill Instructor portrayal by Louis Gossett is VERY true to life! While they cussed us, screamed at us, pushed us physically and looked for what would "trip" us up, they also, in retrospect, wanted us to succeed. One thing they never did, and would have been severely disciplined for, was hit us, so the fight scene, while improbable, works in the movie. PTing us into the ground, though...you bet they did! This movie works for me because I lived the life both during the AOCS part and during a career in the Navy in aviation. The portrayals are pretty much spot-on and believable. Sure there's dramatic license, but there is in any movie! Anyone who believes Full Metal Jacket tells it "like it is" is delusional; there's plenty of dramatic license there, too. Relax, enjoy the movie. It's about personal growth, love, and sacrifice; all in all good things. Not the best movie ever made, but certainly not the worst!

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