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An Officer and a Gentleman

year 1982decade 80sdirector Taylor Hackfordgenre Dramagenre Romance

125 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Richard Gere Zack Mayo
Debra Winger Paula Pokrifki
David Keith Sid Worley
Robert Loggia Byron Mayo
Lisa Blount Lynette Pomeroy
Lisa Eilbacher Casey Seeger
Louis Gossett Jr. Sgt. Emil Foley
David Caruso Topper Daniels
Victor French Joe Pokrifiki
Tommy Petersen Young Zack
Tony Plana Emiliano Della Serra
Harold Sylvester Perryman
Grace Zabriskie Esther Pokrifiki
David Greenfield Schneider
Jane Wilbur Nellie Rufferwell
Buck Welcher Thraxton
Vern Taylor Tom Worley
Elizabeth Rogers Betty Worley
Ed Begley Jr. Voice of altitude chamber instructor

An Officer and a Gentleman | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Sean Fennesseyproducer Craig Horlbeck theme Wait, This Movie Made How Much Money?
Explore episodeClose episode

Casting What-Ifs

Denver; Bridges; Travolta; Hamlin; Reeve; Costner; Weaver; Huston; Leigh; unresolved DeMorne name; Ryan; Davis; Nicholson; Patinkin

In the discussion (17)
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:42Read transcript
  • Travolta reportedly declined both American Gigolo and this role; Gere's subsequent career slump is placed against competition among leading men before Internal Affairs and Pretty Woman revived him.
  • Gere is preferred to Travolta because his mystery and harder edge make the breakdown believable; Travolta's sweetness and broader quality are considered less suitable.
  • An online claim that John Denver was offered Mayo is treated as a disastrous hypothetical and met with disbelief.
  • Jeff Bridges reportedly was Hackford’s original choice but was unavailable.
  • Travolta reportedly declined Mayo.
  • Harry Hamlin was reportedly considered for Mayo.
  • Christopher Reeve was reportedly considered for Mayo.
  • Kevin Costner reportedly auditioned for Mayo.
  • The role is imagined as a major alternate career break for Harry Hamlin.
  • Sigourney Weaver was a reported Paula possibility but is judged unsuitable.
  • Anjelica Huston was a reported Paula possibility but is judged unsuitable.
  • Jennifer Jason Leigh reportedly left for Fast Times and is considered plausible but inferior to Winger.
  • The performer transcribed as DeMorne (identity unresolved) reportedly auditioned and is considered too glamorous for Paula but plausible for Lynette.
  • Meg Ryan reportedly auditioned for Paula.
  • Geena Davis reportedly auditioned for Paula.
  • Jack Nicholson reportedly declined Foley.
  • Mandy Patinkin was reportedly rejected on ethnicity grounds before research into Black drill instructors redirected casting.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Gossett’s role overrated; Lynette defense; Gere’s kissing

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:21:49Read transcript
  • A hot take calls Foley slightly overrated because the showy yelling role is easier than Gere, Winger and Keith's internal emotional parts, while stressing admiration for Gossett's talent.
  • Diggstown is named as a favorite Gossett performance.
  • Gossett's Oscar competitors are considered, with particular admiration for James Mason in The Verdict and doubt about choosing against him.
  • A defense argues Foley could have become cartoonish but Gossett's intensity and glimpses of heart prevent that, including his reaction to Mayo helping Seeger.
  • A hot take defends Lynette as a straight shooter whose motives are understandable despite her conduct.
  • Gere is called the worst movie kisser for swallowing faces and gripping jaws; a dissent sees unusually convincing desire instead.

Roger Ebert's review

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:26:04Read transcript
  • Ebert gave four stars, praising emotional risk, developed characters and sexuality grounded in discovering who the characters are.
  • Siskel and Ebert's enthusiasm is recalled as another instance of critics longing for older filmmaking even during a strong contemporary movie year.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Mayo’s DOR punishment and breakdown; TJ’s bar encounter

In the discussion (15)
Approx. transcript time · 00:30:25Read transcript
  • Foley's first inspection is nominated for its insulting exchanges, tattoo reaction and immediate establishment of the character.
  • The first obstacle course is nominated, contrasting Mayo's selfish excellence with Seeger's struggle and room to improve.
  • Mayo and Paula meeting is nominated for immediate chemistry despite the dated ethnic language.
  • The bar fight is nominated for the payoff when an aggressive local ignores Mayo's reluctance and is beaten; the trope of hostility to servicemen is questioned and partly defended through post-Vietnam context.
  • Caruso's near-drowning and Foley's rescue are nominated, with attention to Caruso's youthful appearance.
  • Foley demanding Mayo's resignation and the ensuing punishment culminating in I got nowhere else to go is the favored scene, receiving explicit agreement.
  • Paula trying to make Mayo jealous at the bar is a second-favorite scene, especially the use of Tunnel of Love; the apparent long separation conflicts with the few days actually elapsed.
  • The second obstacle course is nominated for Mayo sacrificing a record to help Seeger, completing his shift from selfish standout to teammate.
  • Worley's altitude-chamber panic is praised as part of convincing training sequences that invite viewers to imagine enduring the tests.
  • Mayo and Paula confronting Lynette while searching for Sid is praised as powerful rather than comfortably rewatchable; Sid swallowing the ring is similarly intense and alarming.
  • Mayo fighting Foley in the hangar is enjoyed as a sudden martial-arts-film detour, while the lack of military oversight is questioned.
  • The assignment ceremony and Mayo's farewell to Foley are praised as an Oscar-worthy sequence, especially Foley's restrained reaction.
  • The factory rescue ending is praised, while Lynette's cheerful reaction remains uncomfortable after her role in Sid's fate.
  • Final scene choices favor the long-weekend DOR punishment with agreement, while another choice is the Tunnel of Love bar encounter for its depiction of formerly intimate people reconnecting.
  • The sex scene is praised as unusually beautiful and convincing; reported edits to avoid an X rating and Winger's dissatisfaction are noted.

The Slow Ride / Kid Cudi – Pursuit of Happiness Award for Best Needle Drop

Tunnel of Love — Dire Straits

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:35:37Read transcript
  • Tunnel of Love is the clear needle-drop choice, with Treat Me Right a strong runner-up; Joe Cocker’s song is excluded because it plays over the closing credits.
  • A proposed awards principle would exclude songs heard only over credits, while integrating a song into the score is admired.

What’s Aged the Best?

Paula and Lynette; smoking to Benatar; Caruso; DOR; obstacle courses; Puget Debs; submersion training; haircuts; credits; ending; Grace Zabriskie

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:42:42Read transcript
  • Paula and Lynette smoking, dressing for the weekend and listening to Pat Benatar are aged-best choices; the setting's rural presentation is debated as a frontier-like Navy town.
  • Paula and Lynette are aged-best character choices; Lynette's shack with carefully kept plants is praised, while her dated haircut is deferred to aged-worst.
  • Caruso's appearance with a crew cut is an aged-best choice.
  • DOR as a reusable life concept and obstacle-course scenes are aged-best choices.
  • Foley's warning about the Puget Debs is an aged-best choice, with the term explained as sarcastic debutantes.
  • Hair-shaving scenes are an aged-best choice, compared with Stripes and Full Metal Jacket.
  • Sid swallowing the ring and Treat Me Right are recalled as enduring details; politically incorrect marching songs are considered both aged-best and aged-worst.
  • Opening and closing credits and the factory rescue ending are aged-best choices.
  • Grace Zabriskie's mother is praised; the silent stepfather is read as resenting reminders of his wife's earlier pilot relationship.
  • Water-submersion training is praised as unusual film material, although the category is qualified as scenes rarely seen now rather than something literally aging well.

John Bender Award for Best Freeze Frame

The Breakfast Club (proposal)

The panel proposes a new category here.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:50:23Read transcript
  • A Best Freeze Frame category is proposed and named for John Bender after The Breakfast Club is suggested; this is a proposed new award rather than an established result here.

The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

Sid’s compressed late arc (tentative)

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:50:51Read transcript
  • No weak performance or boring section is identified; even a pee break is difficult, though repeated obstacle courses might be skippable for some viewers.
  • The abruptness of Sid's late arc is proposed as a possible weak link after the initial inability to name one.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Opening; Gossett double; Lynette’s hair and rejection; Simpson’s song judgment; side business; teenage flirting; pregnancy strategy

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:51:43Read transcript
  • The opening scene's editing, visible Gossett fight double and Lynette's haircut are aged-worst choices.
  • Don Simpson reportedly wanted Up Where We Belong removed in favor of On the Wings of Love, a judgment considered badly wrong after the song's success.
  • Lynette rejecting Sid is considered brutally painful; the compressed sequence from pregnancy worry to panic, proposal, rejection and suicide suggests missing development, though family pressure and his brother's death provide context.
  • The abruptness of Sid's late arc is proposed as a possible weak link after the initial inability to name one.
  • An earlier script reportedly gave Mayo's father a larger role and a visit during training, prompting a hypothetical appearance at graduation.
  • Byron Mayo is jokingly proposed as an addition to the Wayne Jenkins impression category, built around the disturbing opening encounter.
  • Mayo's side-business margins are questioned as too small for the risk, and Paula's teenage sister openly flirting at dinner is considered especially dated.
  • Trying to secure a future through pregnancy with a pilot is criticized as an implausible life strategy, while Lynette's desire to escape to Hawaii is acknowledged.

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:05:53Read transcript
  • Robert Loggia is the emphatic heat-check winner for his opening minutes.
  • Paula’s father is a heat-check alternative.
  • The hostile factory worker Bunny is a heat-check alternative.
  • Seeger is a heat-check alternative, with a question about whether the part is too large.
  • Victor French as the stepfather is a heat-check alternative.
  • Grace Zabriskie as the mother is a heat-check alternative.

Recasting Couch

Stone, unresolved DeMorne name or Arquette as Lynette; Quaid, Hanks or Reinhold as Sid; Dennis Quaid as Mayo; later-era Denzel as Foley

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:38Read transcript
  • The cast is largely considered untouchable; Sharon Stone and The performer transcribed as DeMorne (identity unresolved) are proposed for Lynette, with continued admiration for Lisa Blount.
  • Randy Quaid is proposed for Sid.
  • Judge Reinhold is proposed for Sid.
  • Tom Hanks is proposed for Sid, with enthusiasm for an Oklahoma accent.
  • Dennis Quaid is proposed as a plausible alternative Mayo.
  • A later-era Denzel Washington is proposed as an especially strong Foley, explicitly outside the original casting period.
  • Denzel's military filmography is recalled in support of the hypothetical Foley casting; A Soldier's Story and Adolph Caesar's sergeant are praised.
  • Rosanna Arquette is a late Lynette recasting proposal.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Stewart’s experience; medals; actor isolation; training; fight double; locations; motorcycle; ending; ring; Winger contract

In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:32Read transcript
  • The screenplay reportedly draws on Douglas Day Stewart's officer-candidate experience, including a real Paula he dated but did not marry; this is credited for the setting's specificity.
  • Foley’s decorations are listed as the Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Gallantry Cross unit citation, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation, and a final item transcribed as “Combat Actionary” (unresolved). Their extensive detail is appreciated without requiring the film to explain each one.
  • Hackford reportedly housed Gossett twenty miles away to keep him apart from the other actors.
  • Lisa Eilbacher reportedly found it frustrating to pretend to struggle on the obstacle course because she was in excellent physical condition.
  • Gere reportedly mastered the karate while Gossett struggled, accidentally kicked him in the groin, and a trained stand-in was used during Gossett's two-day absence.
  • Foley putting Mayo's dollar in the right rather than prescribed left pocket is interpreted as a small deliberate rebuke.
  • The Tides Inn is identified as the motel location.
  • The hangar is reportedly now the 1,200-seat McCurdy Pavilion.
  • Mayo’s motorcycle is identified as a Triumph Bonneville.
  • Gere reportedly disliked the ending until factory workers became emotional during rehearsal.
  • Stewart’s listed credits include The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, The Blue Lagoon, this film, Thief of Hearts, and Listen to Me. Thief of Hearts is praised for a burglar using a stolen diary to become a woman’s dream man; Listen to Me is recalled as a debate movie with Kirk Cameron, Jami Gertz, Roy Scheider, and Amanda Peterson.
  • Keith reportedly swallowed a ring attached to string so it could be retrieved.
  • Winger reportedly negotiated without an agent and omitted a nudity clause, leaving her surprised by a more explicit rewritten sex scene.

Apex Mountain

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:14:47Read transcript
  • Gere is affirmed for Apex through American Gigolo and this huge success.
  • Winger’s Apex is assigned to Terms of Endearment.
  • David Keith is affirmed for Apex here.
  • Louis Gossett Jr. is affirmed for Apex here.
  • Military-training movies prompt a dispute between Private Benjamin and Full Metal Jacket, ending with agreement on Full Metal Jacket rather than this film.
  • Puget Sound is unequivocally affirmed for Apex.
  • The Triumph Bonneville is proposed for Apex as a particularly impressive movie motorcycle, but other motorcycle peaks are offered without a settled affirmative result.

Top Ten List

1980 domestic box office

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:17:08Read transcript
  • The spoken 1980 domesticboxoffice ranking is:1 Star Wars (specific installment not stated);2 Nine to Five;3 Stir Crazy;4 Kramer vs. Kramer;5 Any Which Way You Can;6 Private Benjamin;7 Coal Miner’s Daughter;8 Bandit II (shortened spoken title);9 The Blues Brothers;10 Ordinary People.
  • Lower positions are given as The Shining 12, Caddyshack 14, Friday the 13 th 15 and Raging Bull 20.

Picking Nits

Worley’s taunting; motel clerk; timeline; trainees; math; factory safety; ages

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:20Read transcript
  • Worley taunting Foley from the boat is questioned as inconsistent with everyone's supposed fear of him.
  • The motel clerk not warning Mayo about Sid swallowing a ring is questioned, with a counterargument that clerks routinely ignore strange behavior.
  • The late timeline is criticized as confusing: a few days apart play like a long breakup, while earlier training weeks pass rapidly.
  • One more developed trainee or rival is proposed to strengthen the graduation payoff, but an objection notes that this would turn the romantic drama into Top Gun.
  • The small size of the training class is questioned, with the short course duration offered as a possible explanation.
  • Whether Mayo ever learned the required mathematics or relied entirely on Sid remains uncertain.
  • Kissing Paula while she operates machinery and coworkers abandoning their posts are joked about as workplace hazards.
  • The trainees' apparent ages and the small age gaps between actors playing parents and children are questioned; an explicit reference to Mayo nearing the eligibility cutoff is suggested.
  • Rosanna Arquette is a late Lynette recasting proposal.

Is This Movie Better With…?

Wayne Jenkins as Sid; Byron Mayo impression

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:56Read transcript
  • Wayne Jenkins as Sid is proposed and performed, alongside anticipation of a future Byron Mayo impression; the impression's Jet Li reference is corrected to Chuck Norris as a safer period fit.

Just One Oscar

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:44Read transcript
  • Winger is the first Just One Oscar choice.
  • Gere is the competing Just One Oscar choice because he holds the film together.
  • Another choice agrees with Winger; supporting eligibility is debated but rejected because of the role’s scale.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Opening encounter; Mayo’s athletics; officer admission; Lynette’s pregnancy; Sid’s nudity; ring stunt; David Keith or Keith David

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:18Read transcript
  • The question of whether Mayo and his father shared a graduation-present sexual encounter is revisited and answered affirmatively.
  • Mayo's exceptional athletic ability and apparent ease of entering officer training raise questions about his background and admission requirements.
  • Whether Lynette was really pregnant remains unresolved; one interpretation is that she believed she was late, while her callous rejection matters regardless.
  • The confrontation's harsh language is contrasted with a sanitized online quotation and memories of heavily edited broadcast versions.
  • Why Sid is naked when found dead is unresolved; an explanation about avoiding dying in uniform is challenged because he wore civilian clothes, and alternative scenarios are explicitly joking speculation.
  • The reported real ring swallowing is questioned as unnecessary when editing could create the same effect.
  • A David Keith versus Keith David question is answered in favor of Keith David.

The Andy and Red – Zihuatanejo Award for What Happens the Next Day?

Relationship fails; couple stays together

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:29:39Read transcript
  • The next-day forecast divides between Mayo ruining the relationship after the Texas move and the couple staying together because their chemistry feels convincing.
  • Introducing Paula to Mayo's father inspires further jokes about repeating the opening encounter.

The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

Sit, adjust, pray, attack; love lifts you up where you belong

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:30:31Read transcript
  • Sit, adjust, pray, attack is a life-lesson choice from the mess-hall routine; love lifts you up where you belong is another, followed by a joking make-room-for-dad alternative.

Producer review

Sweet, satisfying, emotionally engaging

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:31:37Read transcript
  • The producer enjoyed the sweetness, satisfying happy ending and investment in many characters.
  • Sid’s death was unexpected but felt emotionally handled; anticipated violence from Mayo did not materialize.

More from the conversation

The episode is explicitly part of Wait, How Much Did That Movie Make? month; the film's reported $190 million gross on a $7 million budget and third-place1982 finish introduce the theme.
Approx. transcript time · 00:01:41Read transcript
Seeing the explicit love scene with parents as a young teenager is recalled as an awkward theatrical experience.
Approx. transcript time · 00:03:10Read transcript
The military-training run is listed as Private Benjamin, Up the Academy, Taps, Stripes, An Officer and a Gentleman, The Lords of Discipline, Top Gun, Heartbreak Ridge, Full Metal Jacket, and Biloxi Blues. The discussion says eleven films despite enumerating ten. This film is compared to a rougher, more psychologically complex older sibling of Top Gun.
Approx. transcript time · 00:03:51Read transcript
The film is praised as a1970s-style character study grounded in real towns and flawed ordinary people, a type of studio film considered rarer now.
Approx. transcript time · 00:05:10Read transcript
Paula and Lynette are praised as well-written keys to the film; Lynette's cruelty, sympathetic aspects and final encouragement are flagged for later questions.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:45Read transcript
The factory ending is praised as an iconic romantic payoff that shifts the film from its darker material into classic Hollywood romance, strengthened by the hit song.
Approx. transcript time · 00:07:26Read transcript
La La Land and The Notebook are offered as comparatively rare recent examples of phenomenon-level film romances.
Approx. transcript time · 00:08:27Read transcript
The flawed ensemble is praised, including Foley's effective but offensive methods; such antiheroes are thought to have moved toward prestige television.
Approx. transcript time · 00:09:15Read transcript
Gere reportedly told Barbara Walters he took the film for money and did not anticipate its success.
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:01Read transcript
Gere's unnominated performance is praised as an old-fashioned star-making role involving a dangerous, troubled young man rather than a softened hero.
Approx. transcript time · 00:11:28Read transcript
The opening's nudity and Robert Loggia's exposed underwear are discussed as startling, with uncertainty about whether the encounter was a graduation present.
Approx. transcript time · 00:12:35Read transcript
Gere's obstacle-course athleticism prompts jokes that he could break the course record.
Approx. transcript time · 00:13:55Read transcript
Gere's strongest films are listed as this, American Gigolo, Pretty Woman and Days of Heaven; his uneven results are compared with Winger choosing respected filmmakers whose particular projects failed.
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:08Read transcript
Paul Mescal is suggested as a modern comparison but judged sweeter; Gere's combination of charm, danger, selfishness and generosity is compared with Steve McQueen.
Approx. transcript time · 00:15:26Read transcript
The crowded1982 actor field is listed as Ben Kingsley in Gandhi, Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, Jack Lemmon in Missing, Paul Newman in The Verdict, and Peter O’Toole in My Favorite Year. Gere’s omission is considered defensible but his best missed opportunity; Ford and Robin Williams also missed nominations, and this film’s Best Picture omission is questioned.
Approx. transcript time · 00:16:36Read transcript
Winger's early run in Urban Cowboy, this film and Terms of Endearment is contrasted with later disappointments; declined roles reportedly include Raiders, Romancing the Stone, Broadcast News, Bull Durham, The Fabulous Baker Boys and A League of Their Own.
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:24Read transcript
Winger reportedly quit A League of Their Own over Madonna and continued defending that decision; her blunt retrospective interviews are admired.
Approx. transcript time · 00:18:02Read transcript
Winger's diminished current recognition is contrasted with her earlier prominence and periodic acclaimed returns, including The Sheltering Sky and Rachel Getting Married.
Approx. transcript time · 00:18:57Read transcript
Winger's natural small-town warmth and emotional honesty are praised, contrasting with her more abrasive interview persona.
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:38Read transcript
Gossett's Foley is praised as an iconic1980s role and historic supporting-actor Oscar win, compared with Ermey's later Full Metal Jacket sergeant and his reported coaching influence here.
Approx. transcript time · 00:20:56Read transcript
Gossett's memoir reportedly describes Winger and Gere distancing themselves off camera; their chemistry makes the feud surprising, and a later meeting suggests relations improved.
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:56Read transcript
The film is proposed as a Best Picture nominee in place of Missing, while the other four nominees are accepted.
Approx. transcript time · 00:24:37Read transcript
Hackford's work is compared affectionately with Proof of Life, including the shared Caruso casting and the podcast's relatively frequent coverage of his films.
Approx. transcript time · 00:25:06Read transcript
The opening with Mayo's father is debated as a disturbing and awkward introduction; simultaneous encounters are inferred but the exact arrangement remains disputed, and alternatives preserving the childhood flashbacks without this scene are proposed.
Approx. transcript time · 00:28:08Read transcript
Water-submersion training is praised as unusual film material, prompting questions about which training exercises the participants could endure.
Approx. transcript time · 00:45:10Read transcript
The Foley–Mayo fight inspires imaginary betting and discussion of the violence of real head kicks.
Approx. transcript time · 00:46:10Read transcript
Urban Cowboy is recommended after a first encounter with Winger's work; Terms of Endearment and hypothetical Winger or sad-film months are discussed without tagging this episode.
Approx. transcript time · 01:34:03Read transcript
The decline of sex scenes despite greater sexual openness prompts competing explanations involving performer agency, changing attitudes toward titillation and easier access to sexual imagery.
Approx. transcript time · 01:34:31Read transcript
This film's sex scene is defended as character-based and essential to the relationship, contrasting with generalized discussion of earlier audiences' access to sexual material.
Approx. transcript time · 01:35:30Read transcript
The closing explicitly credits Craig Horlbeck as producer.
Approx. transcript time · 01:36:28Read transcript