An Officer And A Gentleman Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1982

An Officer And A Gentleman follows the lives of a handful of young men as they struggle to make it through the Naval Officer Candidate School, all the while dealing with issues of the heart and social status. Although this movie is often billed as a romance, it's anything but a sugary "chick flick" – it's a potent and often dark human drama that should appeal to both sexes equally.

After the untimely death of his mother, young Zack Mayo (Tommy Petersen) is shipped to the Philippines to live with his father (Robert Loggia), a hard drinking and womanizing Naval sailor. Without a suitable father figure, Zack grows up in a life of irresponsible excess, prostitutes and filth.

Now a young man (Richard Gere), Zack turns his back on his father and his sleazy ways by enrolling in the Naval Officer Candidate School. But his desperation to escape his father's lifestyle places him from the frying pan into the fire when he meets his stern drill instructor, Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley (Louis Gossett Jr.). Zack is unimpressed with Foley's hardnosed ways, but the feelings are mutual since Foley believes Zack is a loner that is unfit to command others. It's his personal mission to break Zack and force him to quit the program.

While at the academy Zack instantly strikes up a deep friendship with the affable Sid Worley (David Keith), a recruit from Oklahoma that seems to be Zack's exact opposite. Whereas Zack believes he must look out for number one no matter who his actions may hurt, Sid believes that honor and duty to others supercedes his personal desires.

One night at a local bar the two recruits meet a pair of working-class gals, one of which catches Zack's eye. He is quick to introduce himself to Paula Pokrifki (Debra Winger), while his buddy pairs up with Lynette Pomeroy (Lisa Blount). Despite some prior advice imparted by Foley about being cautious about local working-class girls who will do anything to get their hooks in a future Naval officer to improve their lifestyle, the two recruits let their guards down and romance the ladies.

Together the two learn that passing Foley's class will be anything but a cakewalk, but the physical and mental abuse he heaps upon them are nothing compared to the trials that life has in store.

An Officer And A Gentleman succeeds where so many romantic dramas fail due to its sincere depiction of the doubts and uncertainties that plague many starting relationships. At no point does An Officer And A Gentleman become a sappy and sugary mess – it presents scenarios that could happen to any young adult, and as with life, things don't always turn out the way we expect them to.

This was not Richard Gere's first performance, but it is arguably the one that made him a breakout star, which is understandable. While I don't rank this among Gere's best performances, he did exude a quiet charisma that made his character quite watchable. David Keith also possessed a quiet charm that instantly makes the audience love his character.

Louis Gossett Jr. deserves the most praise for his near-frothing performance as the tough and determined drill sergeant. Obviously a good portion of the film world agreed, since he took home an Oscar for best supporting actor with this role.

Debra Winger and Lisa Blount do fine with their respective roles, but since the primary focus of An Officer And A Gentleman was the trials at the military academy, their screen time was significantly less – which isn't to say they didn't play key roles in how the story played out.

An Officer And A Gentleman isn't a perfect film since it does drag on at times, but it has withstood the years very well and should please movie fans of both sexes due to its potent dramatic story and top-notch acting.

Movie rating: 8 stars

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