Review of An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) by Mimi S — 24 May 2014

I don't think this is something guys will necessarily appreciate very much, but An Officer And A Gentleman is a decent chick flick which is down to earth and realistic. The film is about a troubled and angry young man, Zack Mayo (Richard Gere) whose life isn't going anywhere so he decides to find some purpose in life and joins the navy. He enters an intense training programme led by the uncompromising, bullying and domineering Sergeant Foley (Louis Gossett Jr) who makes it by no means an easy ride. Zack finds that he actually belongs somewhere for the first time in his life and befriends Sid Worley (David Keith) and Casey Seeger (Lisa Eilbacher), fellow candidates. They both meet two attractive young women at a dance for the navy officers, Paula Pokrifki (Debra Winger) and Lynette Pomeroy (Lisa Blount). Sergeant Foley warns the men that the women in the area will do whatever they can to trap the men in order to become wives of the navy officers because of the opportunities that it brings. Zack finds himself falling for Paula and begins to open up to her.

An Officer And A Gentleman is an enjoyable film with a lot of depth to it. Zack and Paula both have their demons and troubles which affect their blossoming romance. Zack is a bit of a dick at the start; he's a misogynist and he doesn't know how to treat people. I liked that An Officer And A Gentleman isn't overly soppy and hows that romance isn't always easy, especially when people have deep troubles. The film is dark and poignantly real at times which is what I admired about it and it goes to show that men aren't always pigs. Gere and Winger have good chemistry. I found Richard Gere a little wooden at times but I think he was still well suited for the role. The film has strong performances especially from Louis Gossett Jr. I really enjoyed this. Despite it's cliche moments it's a really beyond decent chick flick.

Grade: A-.