Stylish but barely mediocre overall

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Once upon a time in the early 80's, a film directed by Taylor Hackford was released called An Officer and A Gentleman. Many enjoyed it, and since it's release it has remained a classic and has gained fans over the years. I was looking forward to this film, however despite how much I wanted to see it, my expectations were still blown away.First off, the editing in this film is brilliant. I won't spoil another scenes, but The opening scene when Zach Mayo flashbacks to his past was absolutely brilliant. That one scene is criminally underrated, and as I watched the opening scene, I knew I was in for a really good movie. The way the takes fold together feels all like one take, it's superb. I had to go look up who the editor for this movie was, and, no surprises, it's the same pal who edited The Godfather! No wonder the editing was good...The cinematography was also very good, but in order to keep this review short so to not occupy your time, I think the film remains realistic as it develops an emotional story that remains handled well under the careful hands of the director. This film is not another simple romantic movie, it's an emotional look at the life of being an aviator, the hardships and humour and grief of it all without being overly sentimental or melodramatic. The pacing, editing, cinematography and story all combine into an absolute masterpiece and it's safe to say that you won't be wasting any of your time watching this. Respect goes to Taylor Hackford for making this masterpiece. Go watch it.

A movie for the ages. The lines in the film are timeless, and still resonate years after seeing the film. "I don't believe what I'm seein" and "where you from, boy"? Debra was outstanding. Why are films like this not made these days on a regular basis? I guess cartoons and internet graphics are what people want. The suicide was poignant, and the fight scenes well done. The nick names were spot on. The uniforms were clean. The jets echoed in the background. Oklahoma is now known beyond basketball, and home to more than steers and queers-I lived in OK and it was awesome. Let'shave more movies about OK and the fabulous people that live there. K Mart shoppers-this film is a blue light special, and Sam Walton would even carry it at hos stores despite the nudity.

Released in 1982, "An Officer and a Gentleman" was the obvious inspiration of films like Tom Cruise's "Top Gun" and "Days of Thunder." "An Officer and a Gentleman" was the first and best, by far.The plot similarities are obvious: They all include the angry young man who needs to prove his gifting, the uncompromising mentor, the encouraging babe, the craft, the arena and the doomed buddy. In "An Officer" the angry young man is Richard Gere as Mayo, the mentor is Louis Gossett Jr. as Drill Instructor Folely, the babe is Paula (Debra Winger), the craft is aviation basic training, the arena is a Naval academy and the Puget Sound area of Washington (shot on location) and the buddy is Sid Worley (David Keith).Thankfully, the film doesn't get bogged down telling the back-story of Mayo. Instead, it ingeniously shares his past in a matter of minutes at the very beginning. It's all we need to know to understand why Mayo is the way he is. And then we're off to basic training where he's tested. Does he have what it takes? Can someone as lowborn, aloof and un-trusting as Mayo make it as an officer?Debra Winger and Lisa Blount shine here as Mayo and Worley's babes. Winger is alluring in a humble "girl next door" type of way (she out-shined Lynda Carter as Wonder Girl on "Wonder Woman," which is hard to believe), but Blount is even more alluring -- yes, despite the negative aspects of her character. I'll just put it this way, she really fills out a pair of jeans, lol. Both couples get intimate way too quickly, but maybe this is one of the flaws of the "Puget Debs" and explains why they have a problems getting marriage material, if you know what I mean. Besides this, time has to be condensed in a two-hour film.BOTTOM LINE: If you're in the mood for a film of this ilk "An Officer and a Gentleman" is the best of the lot.GRADE: AINSIGHTS ABOUT THE ENDING (***SPOILER ALERT*** Don't read further unless you've seen the film):An officer is a military leader. Drill Instructor Foley's job is to weed out those who can't hack it as an officer. It's an important job because people's lives in combat are dependent on the quality of the leaders and Foley takes his job seriously.Foley rightly pegs Mayo as a lowlife loner from the outset -- a wannabe officer -- and therefore puts on the pressure. This is especially so on the one weekend where he has Mayo to himself. Foley does everything he can to make Mayo break AND quit, but Mayo doesn't. He breaks, indeed, but he refuses to quit on the grounds that he has no where to go. At the end of this scene you can see that Foley develops respect for Mayo (which you get a glimpse of earlier when Mayo does extremely well on the obstacle course).Later, Mayo disregards breaking the record on the obstacle course (which he was definitely able to do) in order to encourage Seegar (the female recruit) to finally make it over the wall. Foley sees that Mayo's no longer the aloof and selfish loner he was when he rode in on his motorcycle. He's matured; he's developed character. It was already there, of course, but the boot camp training has brought it to the fore, and Foley sees it.After Worley's tragic death, Mayo confronts Foley while he's drilling the platoon. Foley informs Mayo that they all know what happened and even tells him they're sorry about Worley. He didn't have to do this and it shows that Foley isn't just an honorable man, but also that he cared about Worley. After all, Worley was only one week away from graduating! In a sense, he was one of Foley's kids. In other words, Foley and the platoon were grieving too. But Mayo was closest to Worley and he's crazy with shock & grief at this point. He insists that he's going to quit, to which Foley tells him to meet him for a fight. Sure, there's some testosterone in his words, but he actually does this out of respect for Mayo as a last ditch effort to keep him from dropping out.And Foley doesn't "kick his axx", as some claim. It was essentially an even match and Foley barely walks off the mat, which is the only reason he technically wins. But that's inconsequential. The purpose of the fight was to run Mayo's steam out so he didn't make a rash decision in an obvious moment of grief & anger. Foley accomplished his purpose. Once Mayo was no longer blinded by rage he makes the right choice and graduates.This is why he thanks Foley at the end.

One of the stronger movies of the 80s decade, Taylor Hackford's "An Officer and a Gentleman" covers a wide gamut of themes and emotions. It takes place in the Navy, and features stories of friendship, romance, and love. Richard Gere does a great job with his emotional acting, but less so with his physical acting as he seems hardly coordinated or athletic enough to convey leading his class. Anyway probably most who have seen this movie will tell you they particularly enjoyed Louis Gossett Jr. Oscar worthy and winning supporting performance as a tough and entertaining Drill Sargent. I would particularly agree, Gossett Jr. is witty and at times sardonic. The friction between characters Gere's Mayo and Gossett Jr Foley seems a little out of place, but still manages to be watchable. The Romanticism and love interest are a little better, with Winger looking stunning and acting more naturally than Gere. The photography and outdoor scenes especially are gorgeously shot. Fairly good soundtrack as well. Give this effort a solid 7.5/10 and recommended.