An Officer and a Gentleman

I always seem to expect Richard Gere films to be twee romantic melodramas, and I keep being made to rethink. This was a very good film, a convincing portrait of a hard lifestyle, with some truly memorable characters and a great soundtrack (for the time!). It was often hard-hitting, and often uplifting, and even if it sometimes strayed too far into cheesy territory, it was well-balanced with grit. Perhaps a little overlong, trying to incorporate storylines for the hero’s journey, romance AND friendship, but in general, it pulled them all off remarkably well.