Romancefest 10: An Officer and a Gentleman

AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN is a good example of how a movie can be a crowd pleaser and still a legitimately good film at the same time. We get an engrossing story with satisfying pay offs while also getting an insightful look at seemingly real lives.

Richard Gere stars as Zack Mayo who is entering Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School outside of Seattle, WA. It's revealed in early flashbacks that he hasn't had an easy life -- his mother committed suicide when he was still a child and he was forced to move to the Philippines to live with his Naval officer father (Robert Loggia) an unabashed alcoholic and womanizer. Raised in this harsh environment with this dubious role model, Mayo grows up to be a loner with few choices.

Mayo soon meets local girl Paula (Debra Winger) who may or may not be just another girl looking to hook up with an aviator so she can be set for life. It's easy -- trick a guy into getting you pregnant, then tie him down. It didn't seem to work for Mayo's mom or Paula's mom, both left by their Naval officer boyfriends, but the girls in town still seem to hope it will work for them. Paula isn't so sure -- she wants romance and excitement, and is attracted to Mayo, but doesn't know if she can bring herself to the desperate measures other girls of her type have resorted to.

The other most significant relationship Mayo has is with his drill instructor, Sgt. Foley. This is Louis Gossett, Jr. in an Oscar winning performance, and boy did he deserve it. The script doesn't betray Sgt. Foley's true feelings about Mayo one way or the other, so Gossett is left to show his characters' feelings with body language. As Foley tries to break Mayo's independence and Mayo grows to become a man who can confront Foley, the relationship is made that much more touching based on the way they don't talk about it. Almost none of their relationship is on the page -- it's all in the audience's mind. Watch the scene were Foley pushes Mayo to the point that he finally snaps and exclaims, "I've got nowhere else to go!" This scene is all the more satisfying because of the contrast this high emotion has with the guarded feelings of the rest of the film.

The same could be said about Mayo and Paula's relationship: part of the reason it rings so true is because of the way the characters attempt to hide their feelings from each other. As an audience member, you can tell they're clearly in love. Mayo knows he loves Paula, Paula knows she loves Mayo, the audience knows they love each other, but they still have to try to out-cool each other in a one-up contest to see who can pretend to care the least. I've been there. You've been there. This movie is smart enough to know that.

So, when Mayo finally sweeps in to carry Paula off at the end, it's that much more meaningful, instead of simply being sappy.