An Officer and a Gentleman

Starring: Richard Gere, Debra Winger, David Keith, Robert Loggia, Lisa Blount, Lisa Eilbacher, Louis Gossett Jr., Tony Plana, David Caruso
Directed by: Taylor Hackford
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Romance
1982

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A recruit (Richard Gere) at the Navy Officer Candidate School has to balance a brutal drill sergeant (Louis Gossett, Jr.), a new love interest (Debra Winger), and his own baggage from his father (Robert Loggia) as he tries to chart a course towards a better life.

Review:

Tim: An Officer and a Gentleman is one of those films that took me an extraordinarily long time to see. I always seemed to have something else that felt more pressing. However, I did finally see it and I really liked what I saw. This film is memorable- it's a strong romantic drama that also explores life in a Navy Officer school. The movie felt unique in many aspects.

The character of Zack Mayo is established well early on. Richard Gere gives a truly remarkable performance bringing this character to life. Mayo has some serious baggage, which we see early on in several powerful scenes with Mayo's father, played brilliantly by Robert Loggia. We learn Mayo is a man haunted by his past, struggling to make sense of his future. As with most human beings, our reaction to early trauma shields and protects us, although those same behaviors eventually hurt us, as adults. In many ways, the whole film is focused on Mayo trying to learn that lesson, to adapt his worldview and behaviors to the changed world around him. I loved that this film took the time for character development and was written effectively enough that you can do a bit of a deep dive into this character. Gere's charismatic performance really make us care for Mayo- he's a complicated protagonist, but someone it's easy to root for. I do want to clarify that Gere is a big reason why this movie works so well. He didn't get the universal recognition that some of his costars did, but his performance was effective and it makes the movie work.

As the movie progresses, it's really the characters around Mayo that add to the story and their interactions with him help to (potentially) show him the need to change. Debra Winger is strong as his love interest. While I wish her character was developed a bit more, Winger adds real warmth and intelligence to her performance. She makes her character stand out, an obviously good match for Mayo. Winger perfectly captures this small town sentimentality, with an iron will and desire for something better out of life. Winger and Gere work really well together. Winger had several impressive moments throughout the film, and she was recognized by the Academy with an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Louis Gossett, Jr. actually won an Academy Award for his performance here, taking home the trophy for Best Supporting Actor. Gossett Jr. is unforgettable as the tough drill sergeant who has a bit more heart than he lets on. His performance was fiery and forceful, taking up oxygen on screen. Every time Gossett Jr. would pop up on screen, you'd lean a little bit closer. One interesting note- I was stunned to hear many of his lines here were echoed extraordinarily similarly in Full Metal Jacket a few years later. I still don't have a good explanation for this- was R. Lee Emery a technical advisor on this film? Did he straight up steal the lines from this movie? Is that just common military lingo? It's weird, because Emery in Full Metal Jacket is so famous, and yet many of his best lines predate that film and originate here. So weird. Taking that out, this scene features an especially memorable performance by Gossett Jr. that won him an Academy Award.

I did want to clarify again that Loggia is so strong in his small performance- he makes an impact early on and his shadow looms over Mayo the remainder of the film. I also loved the performance by David Keith. I'm not sure he has THAT much talent as an actor, but this might be his best performance. He works well with the rest of the cast and his acting and character truly stand out. He's absolutely memorable in his work here and one of the best parts of the film. As I reflect on this movie, Keith's character and his performance definitely stand out, even amidst a cast of strong performers.

The movie itself feels deep, although it does only clock in at 2 hours, 4 minutes. It's a bit of a slow boil, so it did feel longer to me. However, the story tells a powerful human story filled with authentic emotion. It also gives us an interesting, deep look perspective into life in a military officer school. It's not an easy life and see this depicted in great detail. It might be the place many people go to sort out their lives, but the process is incredibly difficult. When you view this character through the lens of his messed up childhood, his attempt to start a meaningful relationship, trying to navigate trauma and immense challenges- it makes for a fascinating human study. An Officer and a Gentleman does have flaws- it moves a bit too slow throughout the film, for example- but it features Gossett Jr. in his award-winning performance, and Taylor Hackford's film also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, for the incredible, "Up Where We Belong". It was nominated for a total of 6, including Original Screenplay, which I'd highlight was exceptional. This is a truly good movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Full Metal Jacket, The Devil's Advocate, Enemy Mine, Dirty Dancing