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40 reviews in total

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20 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
Welcome Back to the Lost World of the 80's., 22 October 2002

Author: NJ_jimcat (jimcat@panix.com) from Darkest New Jersey

Sherman, set the wayback machine for... 1986. The United States was just climbing out of its worst postwar recession, while Japan was enjoying an unprecedented industrial boom. Manufacturing industries were still a significant part of the US economy, and factory workers were a good example of the "average American". The word "downsizing" hadn't entered the general vocabulary yet, but everyone knew the phenomenon. Bruce could be heard on the radio singing, "Foreman says these jobs are going, boy, and they ain't coming back to your hometown." Chrysler had just been bailed out by Uncle Sam. Bumper stickers could be seen saying "Buy American -- the job you save may be your own."

"Gung Ho" does a better job of capturing the mood of the American industrial workforce than just about any other popular movie made during that period. Certainly the movie has its flaws -- some loose plot threads and mediocre acting jobs by everyone except Michael Keaton and Gedde Watanabe. But the story really is about the meeting of East and West: Keaton's Hunt Stevenson personifies America, brash and confident on the outside yet insecure underneath. Watanabe's Kazuhiro personifies Japan, on top of the heap with a successful system, but wondering if there is more to be learned from their Western rivals. The movie's plot, flawed as it is, simply provides a framework for the conflict, and eventually synthesis, of their two personalities.

Keaton's acting overshadows everyone else's, and practically makes the movie by itself. I've always admired Keaton for his ability to deliver lines that feel improvised, no matter what script he's following. His character, Hunt Stevenson, is a likable, affable everyman, a natural leader with a wise-ass streak. But he has a fatal flaw common to many of us: he doesn't want to disappoint anyone. He'll distract the crowd with inspirational anecdotes, and even lie, rather than point out the ugly truth.

Kazuhiro is the mirror image of Stevenson: shy and introspective, but also, because of his Japanese upbringing, reluctant to be the bearer of bad news. The scene in which Stevenson first comes to Kazuhiro with the employees' grievances captures perfectly the Japanese approach to workplace conflict. Kazuhiro replies to Stevenson's complaints with "I understand what you are saying," but won't refuse his requests out loud. Stevenson misinterprets this as agreement, and goes away saying, "Okay, we've got that settled." (This is still a problem in Japanese-American business relations in the 21st century!)

Ultimately, Kazuhiro and Stevenson have the same problem: get the factory working smoothly, meet production goals, and fulfill their responsibility to the workers under them. In working towards this goal, they each have to take a page from the others' book. Kazuhiro's family becoming more "Americanized" is an obvious example. Also note that Stevenson thinks it's odd when Kazuhiro explains how he had to make a public apology to his workers for failing them -- and yet, later in the movie, Stevenson does exactly that himself.

The plot and its resolution are a little cornball, but hey, this is a comedy. If you can overlook the movie's flaws, there is a great story about self-realization and open-mindedness here.

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6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
WOW! I can't believe this movie is so poorly rated., 16 July 2002

Author: BennyTheGreat from Des Moines, Iowa

I think it great example of the differences between two cultures. It would be a great movie to show in a sociology class. I thought it was pretty funny and I must say that i am a sucker for that "lets band together and get the job done" plot device. It seems most people don't realize that this movie is not just a comedy. It has a few dramatic elements in it as well and I think they blend in nicely. Overall, I give it a solid 8.

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6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Not edgy, but funny, 17 November 2001

Author: FunnyMann from Los Angeles

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.

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7 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
An eighties classic. Very funny., 6 March 2002

Author: littlegimp from Philadelphia, PA

A very funny east-meets-west film influenced by the closure of GM's Flint, Michigan plant in the eighties and the rise and integration of Japanese automakers in the US. Set in western Pennsylvania, it features great performances by Michael Keaton, Gedde Watanabe, and George Wendt. Music by blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan.

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7 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Michael Keaton At His Best! A Great Comedy!, 20 September 1999

Author: Steve Richmond (sfwr@earthlink.net) from Brea, Ca. USA

Gung Ho is one of those movies that you will want to see over and over again. Michael Keaton is put in charge of wooing a Japanese car company to come to his town thus creating jobs for the residents of Hadleyville. What happens after that is one hilarious moment after another. The two cultures clash and it is up to Keaton to hold things together. Look for great performances from Keaton, Gedde Watanabe, George Wendt, Mimi Rogers, John Turturro, Soh Yamamura and Sab Shimomo. All are perfectly cast. Don't be fooled by the low number rating. This is a 7.5 in my book. It is interesting to note that the town name of Hadleyville was also used in High Noon. Yes, there is a real Hadleyville but in Oregon.

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5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
terrific, underrated movie, 29 November 2004

Author: melrod43 from USA

This is a wonderful movie with a fun, clever story and the dynamics of culture differences and the running theme of what's important in life make this a very under-appreciated movie. Don't let the cynics of the world deter you from seeing this. Keaton has wonderful moments and I wonder at the fact that comedy is never appreciated, because actors like Keaton make going from humor to serious bits look tremendously easy. Great movie all around!

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5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
This is a typical Keaton comedy...excellent!, 20 December 1998

Author: honesty from Ontario, canada

This comedy is bound to be good from the get-go. East meets west and east doesn't want to lose...west doesn't know what losing is like. It starts a little slow but it grabs you very soon and it doesn't let go. This is definitely worth seeing.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Not many laughs but a good story, 22 June 2008

Author: view_and_review from California

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Wow, it's been years since I last saw this movie. Watching it in 2008 is certainly different than watching it in 1986. Initially I didn't' think I would make it through the movie. Hunt Stevenson (Michael Keaton) was so obnoxious, arrogant and disrespectful that I found it hard to watch him. He embodied every negative stereotype of Americans. If that wasn't bad enough, once the small American town's finest workers were shown the image only got worse. On the opposite spectrum the Japanese were presented as emotionless, robotic workaholics. The movie wasn't even all that funny, I only hung in there because of the nostalgic value of it. And I'm glad I continued the watch.

Just like boxing, judges are swayed by how you finish the round. This movie went from about a three up to the seven I rated it because of the ending. The end was excellent. You always want a harmonious ending and this was just that. It was great that the town got to keep there jobs and keep the factory, but what was most special was the marriage between the Japanese customs and values and the American customs and values. It was a mediocre movie that ended on a high note.

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3 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Drive home with an Assan, 13 March 2006

Author: paul_johnr from New York

Way, way back in the 1980s, long before NAFTA was drafted and corporations began to shed their national identities, the United States and Japan were at each other's throat in the world manufacturing race. Remember sayings like 'Union Yes!,' 'the Japanese are taking this country over,' and 'Americans are lazy?'

As the Reagan era winded down and corporations edged towards a global marketplace, director Ron Howard made one of several trips into the comedy genre with his 1986 smash 'Gung Ho,' which drew over $36 million in U.S. box office receipts. While in many ways dated, Howard's tongue-in-cheek story of colliding cultures in the workplace still offers hard truth for industrial life today.

'Gung Ho' focuses on Hunt Stevenson (Michael Keaton), the automakers union rep from Hadleyville, a small, depressed town in the foothills of Pennsylvania. Stevenson has been asked to visit the Assan Motor Company in Tokyo (similar to real-life Toyota), which is considering a U.S. operation at the town's empty plant. With hundreds of residents out of work and the town verging on collapse, Assan decides to move in and Stevenson is hired as a liaison between company officials and workers on the assembly line.

The 112 minutes of 'Gung Ho' is a humorous look at these two sides, with their strengths and weaknesses equally considered: on one hand, an American workforce that values its traditions but is often caught in the frenzy of pride and trade unionism; on the other hand, Japanese workers who are extremely devoted to their job yet lacking in personal satisfaction and feelings of self-worth. In Stevenson, we find an American working class figure of average intelligence with the skills to chat people through misunderstandings. With the survival of his workers' jobs and most of Hadleyville on the line, Stevenson proves a likable guy who wants nothing more than a fair chance, although his cleverness will sink him into a great deal of trouble. Besides answering to the heads of Assan, we witness a delicate balancing act between Stevenson and his fellow union members, many of whom he grew up with. This includes Buster (George Wendt), Willie (John Turturro), and Paul (Clint Howard, Ron's brother).

The Japanese cast is headed by Gedde Watanabe, also known for 'Sixteen Candles' and 'Volunteers.' Watanabe plays Kazihiro, the plant manager who is down on his luck and begins to feel a sympathy for American life. He is constantly shadowed by Saito (Sab Shimono), the nephew of Assan's CEO who is desperate to take his spot in the pecking order. While given a light touch, these characters fare very well in conveying ideas of the Japanese working culture.

With Hunt Stevenson dominating the script, Michael Keaton has to give a solid performance for this film to work. 'Gung Ho' is indeed a slam-dunk success for Keaton, who also teamed with Ron Howard in 1994's 'The Paper.' He made this film during a string of lighter roles that included 'Mr. Mom,' 'Beetle Juice,' and 'The Dream Team' before venturing into 'Batman,' 'One Good Cop,' and 'My Life.' It's also hard not to like Gedde Watanabe's performance as the odd man out, who first wears Japanese ribbons of shame before teaming up with Stevenson to make the auto plant a cohesive unit.

The supporting cast is top-notch, including Wendt, Turturro, Shimono, and Soh Yamamura as Assan CEO Sakamoto. Mimi Rogers supplies a romantic interest as Audrey, Hunt's girlfriend. Edwin Blum, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel teamed up for Gung Ho's solid writing. The incidental music, which received a BMI Film Music Award, was composed by Thomas Newman. Gung Ho's soundtrack songs are wall-to-wall 80s, including 'Don't Get Me Wrong,' 'Tuff Enuff,' and 'Working Class Man.'

The success of 'Gung Ho' actually led to a short-lived TV series on ABC. While more impressive as a social commentary twenty years ago, Ron Howard's film still has its comic value. It is available on DVD as part of the Paramount Widescreen Collection and is a tad short-changed. Audio options are provided in English 5.1 surround, English Dolby surround, and French 'dubbing,' but subtitles are in English only. There are no extras, not even the theatrical trailer. On the plus side, Paramount's digital transfer is quite good, with little grain after the opening credits and high quality sound. While a few extras would have been helpful - especially that 'Gung Ho' was a box office success - there's little to complain about the film presentation itself.

*** out of 4

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A victory worth compromising over, 23 January 2012

Author: Steve Pulaski from United States

Gung Ho works more efficiently as a social commentary than it does a comedy. The comedy it provides us is lightweight, and most of the humor is derived from the Japanese stereotypes, sometimes funny, sometimes not. But the social commentary the film gives us is strong and meaningful. It's actually one of the most presentable and worthwhile morals in a comedy I've seen in a while.

The story centers around a closed car plant in Hadleyville, Pennsylvania. Before the plant was closed, most of the town's jobs were supplied by the factory and the town's economy nearly depends on it alone. Former head of the factory Hunt Stevenson (portrayed effectively by Michael Keaton), travels all the way to Tokyo to try and strike a deal with Assan Motors Corporation to purchase the plant so it can reopen under new management.

Takahara Kazuhiro (Watanabe) is the head of Assan, and has been branded a failure because of his leniency on his workers. The Japanese are taught to be strong, faithful employees who work as a team. When the company fails, they should feel like they've failed. They don't work for the money. They work for the company.

Hunt and Takahara strike a deal and the plant reopens under the Japanese management, but the company must adapt to the brand new set of rules. No newspapers in the bathrooms, little to no breaks, etc. This is where the social commentary part of the film comes in. The American workers have more freedom, yet still, most of the time, they work efficiently. The Japanese workers are more faithful to the company, but at the same time are scared to request freedom, luxuries, and independence. Once they agree to a job, they are that job. No excuses.

The moral of the story here is that both ways are successful, but both have their own perks. Sometimes, we Americans don't think how lucky we are. Some of the most arbitrary jobs nowadays (IE: an experienced radio personality) get paid six figure salaries. They don't work a full day, yet they make more money than teachers, nurses, etc. Same thing goes with professional athletes. Their average salary could rank in the millions if they're lucky. Granted many of them suffer hard labor, but really, should someone like a baseball player demand a higher salary if he's been benched for a good portion of the season? Going back to the comedy portion, many jokes are directed at the Japanese's expense. The problem here is we are expected to laugh at the Japanese because they are Japanese. There's one part in the film where we are expected to laugh at the Japanese head because he said "looney tunes." Certain things like that almost make the film spiral to a level of immaturity that it should be trying to avoid. There's one central character, a chubby American worker (played by George Wendt) who starts fist fights or threatens them whenever he gets the chance. He is not too charming of a character. He almost reminds me of the character Chris Farley played in Tommy Boy. The difference there was Farley played a likable louse who you couldn't help but side with because of his cheery nature. Here, Wendt's character is so preoccupied with "starting something" he comes off as an unlikable caricature.

On a side note, the film's two central leads, Keaton and Watanabe, do a fine job at working past the formula and going an extra mile to make successful characters. Gung Ho isn't perfect, but it does what many comedies don't bother toying with. The eighties were a decade of fun parties and coming of age films. It's nice to see one film dared to voice an opinion on the American/Japanese cultures working out deals and striking fond relationships with one another without mudslinging one side filthy.

Starring: Michael Keaton, Gedde Watanabe, George Wendt, Mimi Rogers, John Turturro, Clint Howard, and Michelle Johnson. Directed by: Ron Howard.

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