An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Taylor Hackford

Writer:

Douglas Day Stewart (written by)

Release Date:

13 August 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

It will lift you up where you belong.

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.

Plot Keywords:

Navy | Suicide | Sailor | Friendship | Nudity

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

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.	...	Gunnery Sergeant 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

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Filipino

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

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 | 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 | West Germany:16 (w)

Filming Locations:

Bremerton, Washington, USA

Company:

Capitol Equipment Leasing

Trivia:

At the beginning of the movie, when a young Zack was mugged by a group of young Filipinos, their lines actually meant, "Gut the son of a bitch," and then, "How much did we get? How much?"

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The class, upon receiving their commissions, approach Gunnery Sergeant Foley and present him with a silver dollar, in return for their first salute. When Ensign Seeger receives her salute, Sergeant Foley says "Congratulations Ensign Seeger, Sir". He should have said, "Congratulations Ensign Seeger, Ma'am."

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Bernie Mac/Good Charlotte (#28.16)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

TREAT ME RIGHT

A Classic 20 years on...

This movie has certainly survived the test of time, in that it can still provoke a happy yet poignant tear when everything turns out for the best in the end. And that really is the source of its appeal.

College graduate Zack Mayo (Gere) enlists in the Naval Officer Candidate programme to realize his ambition of flying fighter jets, and also to escape a haunted past of his mother's suicide and his alcoholic sailor father.

While training, not only does he have to survive the Drill Instructor (Gossett Jr) but he also recognises the solitude that has been holding him back his whole life. Throw Debra Winger into the mix as the girl looking for a husband amongst the class and David Keith as Mayo's best friend with his own problems, then you have this classic movie.

I have seen this movie many times and it never gets boring. Richard Gere is at his most powerful here and I don't think he's ever had a better role. The supporting cast is also solid, with Gossett Jr. firmly deserving his Academy Award and Winger proving once again that she is thoroughly underrated by Hollywood.

A firm 10/10 from me.