“An Officer and A Gentleman” is an old-fashioned boy-meets-girl movie. Richard Gere plays Zack Mayo, a military brat who gains admission to a Navy aviator school and quickly earns a reputation for selfishness, particularly to drill instructor Foley (Gossett, 1982 Best Supporting Actor). Other officer candidates include Sid (David Keith) and Lisa, the only female in the class.
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After Sgt. Foley warns his men to watch for the local mill girls who'll do anything to marry a cadet, Zack and Sid meet Paula (Debra Winger) and Lynette (Lisa Blount) at a mixer. When Paula asks Zack if he's “got a girlfriend,” he answers, “No, and I ain't lookin' for one.”
Gossett recognizes Zack's teamwork potential and rides him hard over a weekend to “break” him, and eventually challenges him to a kickboxing match, (“hmmm, I see you've had some training.”) Zack responds by performing two very selfless acts, including denying himself a school record to help Lisa complete the obstacle race.
Meanwhile, Lynette deceives Sid who has dropped out of school to return home. When Lynette responds, “I wanted to live overseas, not marry some Okie from Muskogee,” the result is tragic. Still, the film ends happily to the song, “Up Where We Belong.”
The review of this Movie prepared by Angry Jim Magin
