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An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)

Director:
Taylor Hackford

COUNTRY
USA

Genre
Romance/Drama

NORWEGIAN TITLE
En offiser og en gentlemann

RUNNING TIME
124 minutes

Producer:
Martin Elfand
Douglas Day Stewart

Screenwriter:
Douglas Day Stewart


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Aviation Officer Candidate Zack Mayo Richard Gere ½
Paula Pokrifki Debra Winger ½
AOC Sid Worley David Keith ½
Senior Chief Petty Officer Byron Mayo Robert Loggia
Lynette Pomeroy Lisa Blount
AOC Casey Seeger Lisa Eilbacher ½
Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley Louis Gossett Jr. ½
AOC Emiliano Della Serra Tony Plana -
AOC Lionel Perryman Harold Sylvester -
AOC Topper Daniels David Caruso -
Joe Pokrifki Victor French -
Esther Pokrifki Grace Zabriskie -

 

Review

Have you ever been in a relationship or a fling in which you know you're being manipulated, but it just feels so wonderfully rewarding that you let yourself enjoy it anyway? The multilevel,
all-out-attack crowd-pleaser An Officer and a Gentleman is an expertly made practical manipulator which balances delightfully between melodrama and authenticity. Richard Gere plays a hardened navy brat who finds hardship, friendship, love and maybe even himself during a 13 week course at an American Aviation Officer Candidate School. Gere's stiff, edgy persona is perfect for the part of Zack Mayo. And the relations he strikes up with the brilliant, vulnerable David Keith as his new pal, the sultry Debra Winger as his girlfriend and the hardnosed Louis Gossett Jr. as his drill instructor all have a timeless, unique quality which transcends the film's otherwise straightforward plot. The steaming intimate scenes between Gere and Winger are among the most realistic ever in mainstream Hollywood movies – a wonderful depiction of everyday eroticism. Screenwriter Douglas Day Stewart kept piling it on, and director Taylor Hackford kept finding just the right tone and volume for every new segment. In the 1980s sub-genre of military training films, An Officer and a Gentleman is arguably the best. Robert Loggia and David Caruso contribute fine work in small supporting roles. The theme song "Up Where We Belong" was a big hit for duo Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes. Gossett Jr. won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Copyright © 03.05.2021 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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