Gung Ho (1986)

When a Japanese car company buys an American plant, the American liason must mediate the clash of work attitudes between the foreign management and native labor.

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Edwin Blum (story), Lowell Ganz (story),

Stars:

Michael Keaton, Gedde Watanabe, George Wendt

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Keaton	...	Hunt Stevenson
Gedde Watanabe	...	Oishi Kazihiro
George Wendt	...	Buster
Mimi Rogers	...	Audrey
John Turturro	...	Willie
Sô Yamamura	...	Mr. Sakamoto (as Soh Yamamura)
Sab Shimono	...	Saito
Rick Overton	...	Googie
Clint Howard	...	Paul
Jihmi Kennedy	...	Junior
Michelle Johnson	...	Heather DiStefano
Rodney Kageyama	...	Ito
Rance Howard	...	Mayor Conrad Zwart
Patti Yasutake	...	Umeki Kazihiro (as Patti Yasuiake)
Jerry Tondo	...	Kazuo

Storyline

Hunt Stevenson works for a large car manufacturer that has just been bought out by a Japanese firm. Suddenly finding himself having to justify his own job, he's forced to choose between redundancy or the seemingly inhuman Japanese work ethic that the new owners have brought with them.

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Plot Keywords:

japanese | auto industry | factory | takeover | labor relations | 

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Taglines:

When East meets West, the laughs shift into high gear!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 March 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Fábrica das Loucuras

Filming Locations:

Beaver, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$36,611,610 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stevie Ray Vaughan provides guitar work in this film, which is part of the original music. His brother, Jimmy Vaughan, plays guitar on the song "Tough Enough" (by the Fabulous Thunderbirds), which is one of the most prominent songs in the film.

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Goofs

When Hunt and his girlfriend are driving home from the airport they pass the same parked school bus at least twice without having ever made a turn.

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Quotes

Hunt Stevenson: Afterwards we have a few beers and piss for distance.
Kazihiro: For us it's accuracy.

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Connections

References Godzilla (1954)

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Soundtracks

"TUFF ENUFF"
By Kim Wilson
Performed by The Fabulous Thunderbirds
Produced by Dave Edmunds
Courtesy of CBS Records

User Reviews

Not edgy, but funny

Surprised to see the rather low score for this movie. Just saw this film for the first time in 10 years, and was reminded why I like it.

Come back with me, children, to a time when Michael Keaton was a straight-up comedy guy, and you might find some joy in this film. It's a gentle comedy -- the kind Ron Howard specializes in -- but if that's your thing, you should check this out. Keaton's low-key charm is just right for this project.

"Gung Ho" is a bit dated, because it takes places in the last stage of the pre-global economy world, when it still mattered what country a business was based in. That said, it delivers laughs as well as a lesson on how people can learn from each other, to great benefit.

You could watch this film and enjoy it without remembering one scene in particular you really liked, but that's because the whole movie provides a slow but constant stream of laughs. It's like an I.V. drip. And I mean that in a good way.