Review of An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) by Martin D — 15 Aug 2011

An Officer and a Gentleman is a 1982 American drama film that tells the story of a U.S. Navy aviation officer candidate who comes into conflict with the Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant[1] who trains him. It was written by Douglas Day Stewart and directed by Taylor Hackford. It starred Richard Gere, Debra Winger and Louis Gossett, Jr., and was produced by Lorimar Productions for Paramount Pictures. The film's title uses an old expression from the British Royal Navy and subsequently from the U.S. Uniform Code of Military Justice, as being charged with "conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman" (from 1860). An Officer and a Gentleman was commercially released in the U.S. on July 28, 1982.

Zachary "Zack" Mayo (Richard Gere) has been living with his father Byron (Robert Loggia), a U.S. Navy boatswain's mate, since early adolescence, after Zack's mother committed suicide. Hoping to put his life on a different path, Zack signs up for the Navy's Aviator Officer Candidate School.

Zack and his fellow OCs are "welcomed" by their head drill instructor, Marine Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley (Louis Gossett, Jr.). Foley makes it clear that the program is designed to eliminate as many cadets as possible, and that only the best will earn their "prize", a commission in the Navy and a $1,000,000 flight education. Zack hits it off with fellow recruit Sid Worley (David Keith) and female recruit Casey Seeger (Lisa Eilbacher).

Zack and Sid meet two local girls at a Navy-hosted dance - factory workers Paula Pokrifki (Debra Winger) and Lynette Pomeroy (Lisa Blount), with whom each begins a romantic relationship.

Foley rides Zack mercilessly, believing that he could be an outstanding officer but lacks motivation and self discipline. When Zack's side business of selling preshined shoes and belt buckles is discovered, Foley hazes him for an entire weekend in an attempt to make him DOR (drop on request), but Zack refuses to give in. Foley then tells Zack that he will simply have him thrown out; Zack finally breaks down, telling Foley that he has nowhere else to go and has nothing else in his life. Satisfied that Zack has come to a crucial self-realization, Foley lets up on him.

While Zack and Paula spend the next weekend together, she takes him home to meet and have dinner with her family. After dinner, she shows Zack an old picture of her real father. He was an Officer Candidate who had refused to marry her mother when she became pregnant with her.

Later, Zack has a chance to break the record time for negotiating the obstacle course; meanwhile, Seeger will be disqualified if she can't negotiate the Wall that's been giving her so much trouble. Zack abandons his attempt to break the course record in order to coach Seeger over the wall, and she makes it.

Following dinner with Sid and his parents in town, Zack learns that Sid has a long-time girlfriend back home, whom he plans to marry after being commissioned. Meanwhile, Lynette has been dropping hints to Sid that she may be pregnant. During a high-altitude simulation in a pressure chamber, Sid has a sudden anxiety attack. Realizing that he joined up out of a sense of obligation to his family, Sid DORs. Sid then leaves the base without saying goodbye, and Zack and Paula go out to look for him.

Sid goes to Lynette's house and proposes marriage to her. She turns him down, but not before confessing she wasn't pregnant. She wanted him to graduate in order to fulfill her dream of marrying a Naval aviator, and all but curses him for dropping out. She is later cursed by both Zack and Paula when they come to see her about Sid's whereabouts. Despondent over Lynette's rejection, Sid checks into a motel and commits suicide. Zack decides to DOR himself but Foley won't let him go so close to graduation. He and Zack clash in an unofficial martial arts bout with the platoon looking on. Although Zack dominates for most of the fight (mostly fueled by his anger at Foley, who he believed played a part in Sid's suicide by not stopping him from leaving), Foley manages to win by kicking Zack in the groin. Foley tells him he can quit if he wants to.

Zack does show up for graduation, and is sworn into the Navy with his class. Following Naval tradition, he seeks out and receives his first salute from Foley in exchange for a US silver dollar. While tradition calls for the drill instructor to place the coin in his left shirt pocket, Foley places the coin in his right pocket and gives Zack a picture-perfect salute, acknowledging that Zack was a special candidate. Zack tells him he will never forget him and that he never would have made it through without his guidance.

Zack, now Ensign Mayo, seeks out Paula at the factory where she works. He picks her up and walks out with her in his arms to the applause and cheers of her co-workers.