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Richard Gere, Debra Winger, Louis Gossett Jr, David Keith, Lisa Blount ... see more see more... , Lisa Eilbacher , Robert Loggia , Harold Sylvester , David Caruso , Grace Zabriskie , Ed Begley Jr , Victor French , David Greenfield , John Laughlin , Tommy Petersen , Tony Plana , Elizabeth Rogers , Dennis Rucker , Lynn Stalmaster , Mara Scott Wood , Tee Dennard , Nancy Klopper , Vern Taylor , Jane Wilbur

Richard Gere plays Zack Mayo, an aloof, taciturn man who aspires to be a navy pilot. Once he's arrived at training camp for his 13-week officer's course, Mayo runs afoul of abrasive, no-nonsense drill... read more read more... sergeant Emil Foley (Louis Gossett Jr.). Mayo --or "Mayonnaise," as he is dubbed by the irascible Foley -- is an excellent cadet, but a little cold around the heart. Foley rides Mayo mercilessly, sensing that the young man would be prime officer material if he weren't so self-involved. Zack's affair with working girl Paula Pokrifi (Debra Winger) is likewise compromised by his unwillingness to give of himself. Only after Mayo's best friend Sid Worsley (David Keith) commits suicide over an unhappy romance does Zack come out of his shell and mature into a real human being. Take away the R-rated dialogue and the sex scenes, and Officer and a Gentleman could have been a 1937 MGM flick, maybe with Robert Taylor as Zack, Wallace Beery as Foley, and Jimmy Stewart as Sid. An Officer and a Gentleman was nominated for 7 Oscars, with wins to Gossett and to the hit song "Up Where We Belong." The closing scene has surely become a classic of movie romance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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79% liked it

49,297 ratings

Critics

94% liked it

17 critics

R, 2 hr. 6 min.

Directed by: Taylor Hackford

Release Date: January 1, 1982

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DVD Release Date: December 12, 2000

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Stats: 2,162 reviews

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Louis Gossett, Jr.in An Officer and a Gentleman Louis Gossett, Jr.in An Officer and a Gentleman Debra Winger in An Officer and a Gentleman An Officer and a Gentleman An Officer and a Gentleman Debra Winger in An Officer and a Gentleman Louis Gossett Jr. in An Officer and A Gentleman Officer and a Gentleman The Kiss of an Officer Love with an Officer An Officer and a Gentleman richard gere An Officer and a Gentleman Louis Gossett, Jr. Zack Mayo and Foley Sid and Zack Louis Gossett, Jr. in An Officer and a Gentleman Debra Winger in An Officer and a Gentleman
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Flixster Reviews (2,162)

  • SirPant
    April 16, 2012
    SirPant
    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 storylin... read moree. 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.
  • CloudStrife84
    June 20, 2011
    CloudStrife84
    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 se... read moreem 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.
  • theylovealexis
    April 4, 2011
    theylovealexis
    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.
  • ajv2688
    January 12, 2011
    ajv2688
    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.
  • movieguru12
    July 29, 2010
    movieguru12
    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 ... read morephenomenal!! Just absoulutly love this movie!!!!!!! Very good movie!!! I can watch this over and over again! :)
  • FilmFanatik
    December 21, 2009
    FilmFanatik
    One of the greatest chick flicks ever.
  • SarahG1988
    September 12, 2009
    SarahG1988
    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.
  • sononothing
    March 7, 2009
    sononothing
    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 RichardGer... read moree 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.
  • Redlats
    January 11, 2009
    Redlats
    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 p... read moreerhaps Debra Winger should have as well.
  • 76Majikat
    September 20, 2007
    76Majikat
    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 cour... read morese, 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

View All An Officer and a Gentleman Reviews

Critic Reviews

Hollis Griffin
January 1, 2011
Hollis Griffin, Common Sense Media

So-so coming-of-age military flick; not for kids. Full Review

Pete Croatto
March 17, 2007
Pete Croatto, Filmcritic.com

Its famous ending may be hokey, but in a movie this honest, it couldn't feel more right. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
November 3, 2006
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Blue-collar fairy tale: Richard Gere is the frog-prince and Debra Winger is Cinderella in this extremely old-fashioned yet enjoyable movie, whose few modernist touches are a black sergeant, rougher li... Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
February 4, 2004
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

An Officer and A Gentleman succeeds as both a magical love story and as a convincing portrait of one individual's passage into manhood. Full Review

Nick Davis
August 15, 2003
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks

The evident, laudable earnesty of the performances can't disguise the overall thinness of the film.

Clint Morris
September 18, 2002
Clint Morris, Moviehole

Overhyped - but worthwhile

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Janet Maslin
August 30, 2004
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Michael Szymanski
May 20, 2005
Michael Szymanski, International Press Academy

No review available.

Robin Clifford
November 19, 2004
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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An Officer and a Gentleman Trivia

  • The disenchanted son of an amoral sailor stationed in the Phillipines, seeks his true self and finds true love when he returns to America and enrols at the prestigious Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School ???  Answer »
  • In which movie did actor David Keith comment (while doing pushups) about Lisa Blount?s bodacious set of "ta tas".  Answer »
  • In "An Officer and a Gentleman," at the biginning of the film, what is Zack Mayo trying to hide?  Answer »
  • What Movie did Richard Gere star in Where he was a Naval Officer Candidate?  Answer »
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