Life gave him nothing, except the courage to win...and a woman to love.
Zack Mayo is an aloof, taciturn man who aspires to be a navy pilot. Once he arrives at training camp for his 13-week officer's course, Mayo runs afoul of abrasive, no-nonsense drill Sergeant Emil Foley. Mayo is an excellent cadet, but a little cold around the heart, so Foley rides him mercilessly, sensing that the young man would be prime officer material if he weren't so self-involved. Zack's affair with a working girl is likewise compromised by his unwillingness to give of himself.
Log it
Sign in to log this.
Character
Classical in form, earnest, resolved and grave.
- classical in formformally daring
- earnestironic
- resolvedopen-ended
- gravecomic
- effortlessdemanding
Who loves it, who doesn't
No profiled raters yet.
Where do you stand?
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is Richard Gere the best thing in An Officer and a Gentleman?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is An Officer and a Gentleman too earnest?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is the antagonist more compelling than the protagonist?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
Ask the title
A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
No reviews yet.
Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · Sep 20226/10
This is really a film about a power duet - and we don't get that until the end. The rest of this is a rather mediocre outing for all concerned. Richard Gere - an actor whose stardom still, even now, perplexes me - is "Zack", brought up by his dad "Byron" (Robert Loggia) after his mother died. Now an adult, he must learn to stand on his own two feet. Determined to prove himself and follow his father into the military, he enrols in the Naval Officer School where he encounters the no-nonsense drill instructor "Sgt. Foley" (Louis Gossett Jr) whilst befriending "Sid" (David Keith) and "Paula" (Debra Winger). Now "Zack" is quite a shrewd fella, and is soon running a range of scams around the base that eventually runs him foul of his equally savvy instructor - and the two are soon at loggerhead: a relationship that tests "Zack" to breaking point. Off the base, he and his pal are dating "Paula" and her pal "Lynette" (Lisa Blount) and he must now juggle his sex life with his determination not to get drummed out of the regiment at the hands of his nemesis. There is, sadly, something really predictable about just about all of this. You just know what the plot is going to deliver, and though G
Read the whole review on TMDB - John Chardon TMDB · Jan 20199/10
Don't believe the naysayers, this is a true uplifter. Zack Mayo, after years of being shunted around with his woman chasing, alcoholic naval father, decides to up sticks and join the navy himself. He plans to fly jets and enrols at a tough Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School. Very much a loner and used to doing things his own way, Zack must tow the line if he is to succeed. Forming friendships and taking on a romance with a local girl, he may just make the grade. But he has to convince not only his tough no nonsense drill instructor, but also himself. An Officer And A Gentleman has been bogged down over the years by being labelled as a chick flick, a film they say, that is for the soggy handkerchief brigade. Not so say I. Yes love is a critical strand here, not only finding it after years of being closed off from it, but also to keep it after seizing the day. But it's as much a film about determination as it is about conquering love, in finding strengths from within to achieve ones goals against seemingly badly stacked odds. It really is a film that essays that triumph of the will spirit so lacking in many similar pictures that followed this 1982 piece. There are some incredibl
Read the whole review on TMDB
Cast
- Richard GereZack Mayo
- Debra WingerPaula Pokrifki
- Louis Gossett Jr.Sergeant Emil Foley
- David KeithSid Worley
- Robert LoggiaByron Mayo
- Lisa BlountLynette Pomeroy
- Lisa EilbacherCasey Seeger
- Harold SylvesterPerryman
- David CarusoTopper Daniels
- Grace ZabriskieEsther Pokrifiki
Crew
- Taylor HackfordDirector
- Douglas Day StewartWriter
- Donald E. ThorinDirector of Photography
- Jack NitzscheOriginal Music Composer
- Peter ZinnerEditor
- Martin ElfandProducer
Where to watch
Checking availability…
Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
October Sky 199986% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, resolved.
Cinderella Man 200585% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, resolved.
Remember the Titans 200083% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, resolved.
Men of Honor 200083% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, resolved.
Rocky II 197982% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, resolved.
Rocky 197681% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, resolved.
Rudy 199381% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, resolved.
Flamin' Hot 202381% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, grave.
Romeo's Blue Skies 199578% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, earnest, resolved.
North & South 200477% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, earnest, grave.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Tastebuds
