Anthony's Film Review - An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)

A film that nicely mixes romance and military drama...

Let me begin this review by explaining the title. As I understand it, An Officer and a Gentleman does not refer to two different people, with one being an officer and the other being a gentleman. Rather, it refers to the two different parts of the same person. This is the story of Zack Mayo, played by Richard Gere, a man who joins a naval training school and falls in love with a woman along the way. As the beginning of the film shows, Zack had a military influence his whole life, living in the Philippines with his active duty father and dealing with the death of his mother. He's determined to make a lifelong dream come true: fly jets for the U.S. Navy.

This is an engrossing drama about military training and the level of discipline it takes to survive 13 weeks of grueling exercises and harsh verbal treatment. It begins the moment the new students arrive on the training school grounds. This is where Sergeant Emil Foley, played memorably by Louis Gossett Jr., orders the newbies to stand behind a chalk line and then proceeds to verbally humiliate some of them at random. There's no limit to what foul language he'll use. He does it because it's part of the training. Only the toughest can be the best naval recruits. Foley is such a striking character that it's easy to pay attention the moment he says his first line.

At the same time, this is a romance film centering on relationships. There's the romance between Zack and a woman named Paula, played by Debra Winger. She hangs out a lot with her friend Lynette, played by Lisa Blount, who starts dating Zack's fellow classmate Sid Worley, played by David Keith. The moments between Zack and Paula are nice to watch. Whether they are falling in love or having tense conflict, you can't help but keep your eyes on them.

Speaking of relationships, there are others that you can't ignore. For one thing, there's the relationship between Zack Mayo and Sergeant Foley. The story reaches a point where Foley keeps a closer eye on Zack who is not willing to quit his training. While Foley continues to be tough, he does still show hints of being understanding and being human, even if just briefly. Then there's the relationship between Lynette and Sid. Those two have a sensitive issue between them they must contend with. Where it ultimately leads is, well, quite emotional.

The best way to sum up An Officer and a Gentleman is that it's two types of stories (a love story and a military story) intertwined with three different relationships (Zack and Paula, Zack and Foley, and Sid and Lynette). I enjoyed this movie because the moments felt real and I wanted to see where things would lead. Will Zack successfully complete his training and graduate? Will he win Paula's heart? I have to admit that the unexpected turns late in the film took me by surprise, but I liked how it wasn't fully straightforward. Then there's the beautiful closing credits song: "Up Where We Belong" performed by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes. It's the perfect way to wrap up this heartfelt romance and drama.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about An Officer and a Gentleman, visit the Internet Movie Database.