katparker-86462 Taylor Hackford has created a melodramatic film focusing on blue collared people trying to find their meaning. Richard Gere enrolls in an air academy where he finds love and understand the importance of discipline and etiquette from a stern drill instructor. The characters are well developed, and the acting is superb all round from Richard Gere and Debra Winger to Louis Gossett(who won a best supporting academy award). I would not classify this film as a romantic one per-se, but more like a sweeping drama with a romantic ending. The locations are good- a different background rather than the usual Los Angeles or New York story is always welcome and the airbase scenes are well shot. An Officer and A Gentleman is a very good film buoyed by a fine story and some great acting.

SnoopyStyle Zack Mayo (Richard Gere) has a dysfunctional relationship with his drunken Navy father (Robert Loggia). He joins the Navy to fly jets. His father thinks he won't complete the needed six years. He arrives at Port Rainier with a chip on his shoulder and schemes to make money. Sgt. Emil Foley (Louis Gossett Jr.) aims to break down the class. He befriends fellow recruits Sid Worley (David Keith) and Casey Seeger (Lisa Eilbacher). He's physically superior but lacks the school skills. Paula Pokrifki (Debra Winger) and Lynette Pomeroy (Lisa Blount) are local factory girls.Richard Gere fits this character. He has the perfect blend of cockiness and vulnerability. David Keith is great and Louis Gossett Jr. embodies the classic hard-nosed mentor role. I also love Seeger's journey. Debra Winger adds substance to a possible weak point. This is a classic romance of the era.

tstevens32 A rating of anything under 8.0, to me is blasphemous. This film stands the test of time very easily, with further viewing only increasing ones view.At first, it seems like a cookie-cutter military drama played with a known denouement. We all knew the happy ending right? With that said, the road to get there is extremely satisfying, with some stellar acting from all parties.If it wasn't for the cast \ acting, the script would make this film mediocre; but the actors sold me each and every turn and saved the story. I was invested even after knowing the outcome.I have seen this film 10+ times now, and each time I view it, I appreciate the acting skills involved. I can only hazard a guess that this set was not a friendly one to actors; but dayum did they all deliver.Over time, this could break my top 25 of all time.It is very worthy of a review if you haven't already.

Michael_Elliott An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) **** (out of 4)Box office champ about a loser (Richard Gere) with an attitude who tries to become an aviator and once at the Naval academy gets involved with a local woman (Debra Winger), a new best friend (David Keith) and a gunnery sergeant (Louis Gossett, Jr.) who tries to get through to him. This here not only ranks as one of the best films of the decade but I think a strong argument could be made that it's right up there with CASABLANCA as one of the greatest love stories ever told. The film is flawless from the acting to the directing to the characters and the story. I really don't think I could find a single negative thing to say about this film and what's so shocking is that a mainstream movie could be so brutally honest on so many levels. This film has quite a bit going for it and all of it works perfectly. This includes the fun scenes early on during the basic training all the way up to the darker elements of the picture. I really can't recall too many movies that have such rich characters as this one. This isn't just true of the lead characters but even the smallest ones also have an impact on the story. The real showcase is of course the love story between Gere and Winger and I think it works perfectly well and is very much believable without coming across as fake or forced. The second love story is the one between Gere and Keith, which is something that doesn't get enough credit in the picture. Of course, there's also the Gossett character and his relationship with Gere. The film is certainly all about relationships and how humans deal with one another and their emotions.The performances are certainly some of the best you're going to see. Gere never gets the credit he deserves, which is a real shame but this here is perhaps his greatest performance. Just the way he goes through the various stages of this character is pretty special to watch and he perfectly nails all of it. Winger is also extremely good in her part and I thought she brought a certain maturity to these sometimes wild, young and naive characters. Keith is the one who never gets enough credit for his part but we've also got Robert Loggia, Lisa Blount, David Caruso, Grace Zabriskie, Tony Plana and Harold Sylvester doing great work. Gossett certainly deserved his Best Supporting Actor Oscar as he turns in one of the more memorable roles of any military officer.Director Taylor Hackford really keeps the film moving at a wonderful pace but he smartly mixes in some laughs with all of the heavy drama. There are some pretty dramatic and dark moments scattered throughout the film but there are also several moments that are quite funny. The film ended up winning two Oscars but I think it could have won a lot more because it really is the type of film that you can watch over and over and never grow tired of it or have its power fade.