This post includes a brief plot summary, an analysis, and a review of the 1982 film “An Officer and a Gentleman”. Beware of mild spoilers.
Note: I never understood Richard Gere’s appeal among the ladies until I watched “An Officer and Gentleman”. Sorry, but I just needed to get this off my chest before getting into today’s analysis.
Is it possible to escape one’s past and forge a new identity? Director Taylor Hackford masterfully combines the intense world of naval aviation training with a touching love story. The 1982 drama stars Richard Gere as the troubled Zack Mayo, Debra Winger as Paula Pokrifki, and Louis Gossett Jr. as Sergeant Foley.
“An Officer and a Gentleman” tells the story of a young man with a troubled past who joins the Navy to become a pilot.
Zack Mayo is our protagonist, and he has had a less than perfect childhood. After his mother’s passing (suicide), he had no option but to follow his father. A deadbeat who is an officer stationed in the Philippines.
As an adult, Zack makes one of the most important decisions in his life: to join the Navy. Although many of his fellow colleagues want to become pilots, only a handful will make it. Zack’s life in the academy is not easy. He has an extremely demanding instructor, Sergeant Foley, who almost kicked him out for contraband.
Nevertheless, there are also some fun times. Zack makes new friends and even gets into a romantic entanglement with a local girl named Paula Pokrifki. By the way, her friend, Lynette Pomeroy, is fooling around with Sid Worley, Zack’s best academy buddy.
As graduation approaches, Zack has to make some important decisions regarding his professional path, his love life, and even deal with an unexpected loss.
“An Officer and a Gentleman” uses Zack’s personal growth journey to illustrate the importance of trust, love, and the need for one to have a dream.
When Mayo sacrificed his personal record to help a struggling student, a teammate, he finally understood the importance of camaraderie. This small act of kindness of his reminds us that not everything in life is a competition. Nor should our actions only serve our own benefit.
As mentioned before, Zack Mayo comes from a very unstable family environment. Having said that, it is not that surprising that he doesn’t know how to “love”. And Paula Pokrifki, just like Zack, comes from a family that has a few skeletons of their own. But together, they learned how to grow out of their circumstances and move towards a better path.
Zack Mayo didn’t have much before enrolling in the academy, financially and spiritually wise. After completing the training program, Zack learned commitment and discipline. Not only did Zack Mayo get a new direction in life, but he also found love.
As I see it, the main character went through a healing experience that brought him more than just a job or a girlfriend. It gave Zack Mayo a reason to live.
Despite being released decades ago, “An Officer and a Gentleman” still feels relevant and relatable.
Personally, I was surprised to watch a film that was filmed before I was born and still find it relatable. Let’s start with Zack Mayo’s struggle to fight his own demons and move on. Isn’t that what we all aspire to? To become a better version of ourselves?
Second, let’s talk about the ladies, Paula and Lynette. As an independent woman, I can’t see myself trying to “trap a man” to climb the social ladder, but I don’t blame them. In an era where social mobility seems to be increasingly difficult, I can see why the ladies were so “desperate”. Although I empathize with the struggle, I don’t agree with the used methods.
By the way, I wasn’t expecting Zack Mayo’s character arc to be so modern. Back then, men weren’t so open with their feelings. Well, they still aren’t, but at least there is more openness for it to happen. Although many would label this “macho behavior” as toxic masculinity, during that era, it was just “normal”.
What I really liked about “An Officer and a Gentleman” was the depth and richness of its characters.
Every character in the film has their own struggles. Let’s start with Zack Mayo. His journey was very moving. I still remember when he said to Sergeant Foley that he had “nowhere else to go”. That moment was both powerful and heartbreaking.
Thanks to Mayo’s hard work and the unexpected support from Sergeant Foley, the young man was able to pull through and become a better human being.
Then, there is Paula Pokrifki. Despite wanting to get out of her current situation, this woman was still reluctant about using dirty tricks to get where she wants. This shows that Pokrifki has her own ambitions, but she is not willing to compromise her own identity and morals to pursue them.
Out of all of them, Lynette Pomeroy, is the most deceiving one in terms of her character arc. Just like Paula, Lynette wanted to meet a man that could get her out of her current socioeconomic status. Nevertheless, there was nothing about her that screamed “cruel”.
“Foolish” would be a word to describe Lynette’s actions when trying to trap Sid with a fake pregnancy. But what she did to Sid at the end shows that Pomeroy was indeed a very heartless and shallow human being.
Last but not least, there is Sid Worley, a naive man. Despite his philandering manners, Sid was actually very innocent at heart. Apparently, his love wasn’t enough for Lynette, who no longer desired him once he quit the training program to become a pilot. Lynette didn’t want Sid, she wanted the lifestyle.
The film presents the military as a potential path for upward mobility, particularly for those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
As mentioned before, “An Officer and a Gentleman” doesn’t shy away from sensitive subjects such as class differences and social mobility. Zack Mayo’s determination to succeed is not solely based on his personal ambition but also on the need to escape poverty and a dysfunctional environment.
Unlike Zack, Sid Worley wasn’t looking to climb up the social ladder. From the story, it seemed like Sid came from a middle-class family. Therefore, becoming a pilot was more of a prestige matter to him and also a way to honour his late brother.
Regarding the ladies, Paula and Lynette, they saw Zack and Sid, respectively, as a way to escape the tough life of a blue-collar worker. Despite being the land of opportunity, the United States is not always kind to those who have fewer qualifications.
Final Thoughts
Everyone should give “An Officer and a Gentleman” a try, except children, because of the more “spicy” scenes.
This is the type of romance film that I like, the really unromantic ones. In my opinion, they are the most romantic because they feel real. Emotional honesty is perhaps the closest word that I can use to describe what I’m looking for.
I’m not going to lie, the very cliché scene where Zack Mayo sweeps Paula Pokrifki off her feet while the song “Up Where We Belong” plays in the background actually made my heart skip a beat… But generally speaking, overly sweet scenes are a no-no for me.
All the performances in the film were quite solid, from main to secondary characters. I particularly enjoyed Debra Winger’s performance because she made Paula Pokrifki human. In addition, not only did the actress bare her soul for the project, but also her body. She is brave, that’s all I have to say.
Overall, “An Officer and a Gentleman” is a very good film. It’s a simple story with a strong message: in order to get something different, one needs to open their hearts first. Is it too soon to call it a classic? I think not.
Final Rating: 
(Very Good)
