For most of "An Officer and a Gentleman", what was on screen felt fairly familiar. It's a story of a young man going through military training, so of course we get the diabolical drill sergeant, scenes of rope climbing and obstacle courses, unlikely friendship between mismatched bunkmates, moments where the hero thinks about quitting, only to change his mind...
The movie does have a couple of things that stand out about it, though, and to my mind make it worth watching. For one, the great actress, Debra Winger, plays the love interest, and she's one of those actresses you just can't imagine hitting a false note, or turning in a clichéd portrayal. She just feels really authentic.
Another unexpected step was the character arc provided for David Keith, the best friend of the protagonist. His story goes somewhere I was not expecting.
R. Lee Ermey/Sergeant Hartman is probably always going to be the definitive drill sergeant, but I still warmed to Lou Gosset Jr. in the role, though the movie didn't make that easy.
The movie does have a couple of things that stand out about it, though, and to my mind make it worth watching. For one, the great actress, Debra Winger, plays the love interest, and she's one of those actresses you just can't imagine hitting a false note, or turning in a clichéd portrayal. She just feels really authentic.
Another unexpected step was the character arc provided for David Keith, the best friend of the protagonist. His story goes somewhere I was not expecting.
R. Lee Ermey/Sergeant Hartman is probably always going to be the definitive drill sergeant, but I still warmed to Lou Gosset Jr. in the role, though the movie didn't make that easy.