An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Anthony L

  
  An Officer and a Gentleman is probably most famous for its ending scene with the song 'Up Where We Belong' playing and Richard Gere in his immaculate white suit. It's probably the best bit. It's somewhere between Full Metal Jacket and Heartbreak Ridge but with a… More
  An Officer and a Gentleman is probably most famous for its ending scene with the song 'Up Where We Belong' playing and Richard Gere in his immaculate white suit. It's probably the best bit. It's somewhere between Full Metal Jacket and Heartbreak Ridge but with a romantic storyline. It's much cheesier than I thought it would be but as long as you ignore David Keith's horrible performance you will enjoy, Louis Gossett Jr's performance should more than make up for it.

• Mike S

  
  Way better than I had imagined and one of the best romantic dramas I've ever had the pleasure to see. It would'nt even have been half as great though, if it wasn't for the stellar performance by Richard Gere (along with the wonderful chemistry he has with Debra Winger).… More
  Way better than I had imagined and one of the best romantic dramas I've ever had the pleasure to see. It would'nt even have been half as great though, if it wasn't for the stellar performance by Richard Gere (along with the wonderful chemistry he has with Debra Winger). Sparks seem to be flying whenever they're together on screen. And although I knew beforehand how things would end, it's still a very interesting journey with some unpredictable sub-plots. A breath of fresh air when compared to modern-day "chick flicks", which too often are riddled with clichés and stereotypes. There are some scenes where it gets a little slow, which made it somewhat hard to rate. But with a third act so powerful and genuinely moving, I do think it's entitled itself to fours stars on the uniform. An uplifting, gripping and beautifully scored motion picture, with an ending so memorable that it'll stay with you forever.

• Alexis N

  
  This guy who came in to my bar said it is his favorite movie and always makes him cry. With honesty like that, how could I not watch this movie?! I thought it was tough and sweet. One of those against-all-odds kind of movies. I enjoyed it, it's a romantic little film.

• AJ V

  
  A beautiful army romance movie, sort of llike From Here to Eternity, but still a good movie that stands on it's own. I really liked it and I highly recommend it.

• Cassie H

  
  Fantastic! Not only is there a good story to it, the message this movie sends sticks with you saying that if someone seems to be trying to teach you a lesson it's only because they care. Great performances by Richard Gere,and Debra Winger. The ending song makes this movie just… More
  Fantastic! Not only is there a good story to it, the message this movie sends sticks with you saying that if someone seems to be trying to teach you a lesson it's only because they care. Great performances by Richard Gere,and Debra Winger. The ending song makes this movie just phenomenal!! Just absoulutly love this movie!!!!!!! Very good movie!!! I can watch this over and over again! :)

• Tim S

  
  One of the greatest chick flicks ever.

• Sarah G

  
  Full Review coming soon... I have to admit that I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. What I love about this film is that despite looking like a chick-flick it's not all about their relationship. Plus, Richard Gere was pretty attractive in his 30's.

• Chris G

  
  OK, I know I tend to be anti-chick flick. Most of them are repetitive pieces of garbage that bank on a hot male star to hold up a pathetic script. For years I've though that An Officer and a Gentleman was the king of chick flicks. All we've seen is that last scene with… More
  OK, I know I tend to be anti-chick flick. Most of them are repetitive pieces of garbage that bank on a hot male star to hold up a pathetic script. For years I've though that An Officer and a Gentleman was the king of chick flicks. All we've seen is that last scene with RichardGere carrying Debra Winger out of her factory job in his military dress. It feels like pure chick flick. But it turns out to be much more than that. The film follows Zack Mayo (Richard Gere), a recent college grad who shocks his boozing and whoring father by declaring that he had joined the Navy to learn to fly jets. Mayo ends up being under the thumb of Gunnery Sergeant Foley (LouisGossett, Jr.) while entering into a romance with local factory worker Paula Pokrifki (Debra Winger). The film folows the ups and downs of this group of officer wannabes. You see their pain. Gere's character may seem confident, but he realizes he's landed in his last chance. You see the hell and the happiness when he's with Paula. It's sort of aying yang portrayal between the cold as ice trainee and the lover. Gere pulls it off, as does Winger. Winger's character is almost like a lost soul who knows that the operating procedure in her town is to trap and officer and see the world, yet she knows that she actually wants to love whoever her mate is supposed to be. The key performance is Louis Gossett, Jr. His portrayal of Sgt. Foley is a masterpiece and sets the standard for all other Sergeants (sans real drill instructor R. LeeErmey ) that followed him. He's a prick, but there are a few cracks in that armor. Just a few and they don't show very often as they're almost felt like a ghostly presence. A great performance that deserved the Oscar he won. After seeing An Officer and a Gentleman I almost have to call it Full Metal Jacket Light. Instead of being a romance, which seems to be a secondary plot point, it's more of an examination of the human spirit beingtwisted and distorted by forces all around the characters. Like I said it may be a chick flick, but it's a good chick flick.

• Red L

  
  This is a decent movie. Combining the self-centred tough guy Zack (R. Gere), the Sargent (Gossett, Jr.) who sees something in Zack and Paule, the love interest (Debra Winger). Can Zack be a team player? Can he admit he might love Paula? Gossett Jr. won an Academy Award, and… More
  This is a decent movie. Combining the self-centred tough guy Zack (R. Gere), the Sargent (Gossett, Jr.) who sees something in Zack and Paule, the love interest (Debra Winger). Can Zack be a team player? Can he admit he might love Paula? Gossett Jr. won an Academy Award, and perhaps Debra Winger should have as well.

• Lady D

  
  A film I have watched over and over since I was a kid and annoyingly know pretty much every word to. I am a self-confessed, non-girly girl and a flixster friend thought they'd made a breakthrough when they heard I liked this film, sorry to disappoint but it was the assort… More
  A film I have watched over and over since I was a kid and annoyingly know pretty much every word to. I am a self-confessed, non-girly girl and a flixster friend thought they'd made a breakthrough when they heard I liked this film, sorry to disappoint but it was the assort course, the relationship between Zac and Sid and the relationship between Zac and Serjeant Foley that I loved so much. VERDICT: A film that everyone should watch at some point

• Dean !

  
  A very good film as an officer is put through a tough regime to become an officer while falling for a local girl.

• xGary X

  
  Managing to include all the cliches of both bootcamp movies and romance, this sappy chick flick is saved from being completely hateful because of able support from David Keith and Lou Gossett Jr.

• Lanning :

  
  This is Lou Gossett Jr's finest hour (and 22 minutes). An amazingly intense performance. He really was cursed after winning the Oscar. His career should have taken off, but sadly did not. This is the movie <i>Top Gun</i> wished it was. A must see for Gossett… More
  This is Lou Gossett Jr's finest hour (and 22 minutes). An amazingly intense performance. He really was cursed after winning the Oscar. His career should have taken off, but sadly did not. This is the movie <i>Top Gun</i> wished it was. A must see for Gossett fans, for Gere fans, and for Winger fans. David Keith gives his finest performance as well. <p> <b> 02/17/07 update:</b> This one just gets better and better with age. Up a half star.

• danny d

  
  overrated and boring

• Dean M

  
  The best drama tale of army I ever watch.

• Leigh R

  
  Fantastic movie, get the tissues...

• Danny R

  
  An 80s classic that is a well-crafted and truly uplifting film that is superbly directed byTaylor Hackford, it was a surprise box-office smash hit at the time of its release, it also established Richard Gere as a major motion picture star due to his sensational breakout performance… More
  An 80s classic that is a well-crafted and truly uplifting film that is superbly directed byTaylor Hackford, it was a surprise box-office smash hit at the time of its release, it also established Richard Gere as a major motion picture star due to his sensational breakout performance as Zack Mayo, a selfish, hardened, rebellious loner who enters the Officers Candidate School to become a Naval Aviator, but first he most undergo thirteen torturous weeks of training at the hands of the imperious, unrelenting, tough-as-nails but sympathetic drill instructor, Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley, played by Louis Gossett Jr. in a phenomenal muti-layered Oscar winning performance, it will be Foley who will be pivotal in the personal growth of Mayo, he will teach him that no man is an island and can make it alone, Mayo will learn the importance of discipline, friendship and teamwork he befriends another candidate named Sid Worley who will becomes his best friend, he is wonderfully played by David Keith. Foley warns all of his young candidates about the local girls who will do anything to catch themselves a husband who is a Naval Aviator, which is the answer to their dreams of escaping their life of drudgery at the paper mill, Mayo and Sid begin dating two of the town girls Paula and Lynette, played by Debra Winger in a luminous Oscar nominated performance and Lisa Blount who delivers a solid turn. Mayo who has had great hardship in his life as a youth with the suicide of his mother and having to be raised in the Philippines by his estranged amoral womanizing alcoholic father, played excellently by Robert Loggia is now beginning to slowly fall in love for the first in his life with Paula, while his best friend Sid struggles with a very different fate. Richard Gere and Debra Winger have a real chemistry that is electric, their scenes together are tender and genuinely moving and their steamy sex scenes are realistic and beautifully photographed. Excellent musical score by Jack Nitzsche with a knockout Oscar winning song "Up Where We Belong," sung by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warren. This film has it all romance, anguish, humor and a potent heartfelt ending that packs a real emotional wallop. Highly Recommended.

• Alec B

  
  Its a lot better than you'd expect a popular 80s romance film to be. While it does get a little cheesy, and Richard Gere barely manages a passable performance its still a very entertaining. The supporting performances of Debra Winger, David Keith, and Louis Gosset Jr. are really… More
  Its a lot better than you'd expect a popular 80s romance film to be. While it does get a little cheesy, and Richard Gere barely manages a passable performance its still a very entertaining. The supporting performances of Debra Winger, David Keith, and Louis Gosset Jr. are really terrific and they more than make up for Gere.

• David S

  
  Because I've seen this so many times it's surprising to realise how 'adult' this film is. Strong sex scenes, violence, suicide and plenty of swearing. I've always thought of this as a 'Blockbuster' but even though a lot of bits have been copied and… More
  Because I've seen this so many times it's surprising to realise how 'adult' this film is. Strong sex scenes, violence, suicide and plenty of swearing. I've always thought of this as a 'Blockbuster' but even though a lot of bits have been copied and satirised over the years it is still quite a small film in comparison to other large films of this era. It's quite gritty and dirty but that adds to its appeal. Gere is very good here, even if his character is quite unlikable and the scenes between him and Winger are very believable. However the star of the show is Gossett Jr as the Drill Sargeant and the fight between him and Gere at the end is a highlight of the film. Quite dated after all this time but still a good film.

• Jonny C

  
  Great movie. Richard Gere plays a self-centered naval recruit, who learns the hard way when learning about teamwork. With a solid performance from Gere, and healthy support from an Oscar winning Louis Gossett Jr, An Officer and a Gentleman is well worth your time.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings