Customer Reviews

Gung Ho

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This movie is now 20 years old. It is an interesting comedy for what it says about how the Japanese and American cultures were trying to learn to work together in a world economy. Americans were not used to being on the losing end of competition, quality, and efficiency. And they tended to see themselves as entitled to their well paying unskilled jobs. The movie exaggerates these traits, but having worked on an assembly line for a couple of years, I can tell you that the exaggerations are still based in reality back in the 1970s and 1980s. The Japanese are portrayed as being all about company, ruthless bargainers, and relentless perfectionists. I particularly liked the way the Japanese are shown saying things about hearing what the Americans are saying and the Americans taking it to mean agreement while the Japanese mean no such thing.

The movie doesn't take sides and shows most of the problems coming from fear and misunderstanding. Isn't that really what happened? In the 1980s Americans feared the Japanese dominance of our economy and it resulted in some extreme actions and reactions. Nowadays, we fear the Chinese in a different way, but their dominance of basic manufacturing is more complete than the Japanese ever were and yet there isn't the same kind of backlash. Why? Well, that is outside the scope of this little review. Maybe it is experience with losing certain kinds of manufacturing for decades. Maybe it is because the auto industry was seen as particularly American and the high end of unskilled labor as middle class. Maybe it is because we now see economy successfully adapting as some new job classes are created and others leave. Maybe it is something else.

Michael Keaton is fine as a man trying to save his town, but makes lots of mistakes in dealing with both sides. Still, he wins in the end. However, I believe it is Gedde Watanabe who makes the movie work. He has to be Japanese enough to be a threat while still being enough outside the mainstream Japanese culture that Americans feared in order to be sympathetic. He has many well done moments in the film and I enjoy him whenever I see him on the screen. Really, he should work even more.

George Wendt was the big name at the time with the huge success of Cheers since 1982. He represents the old American labor and has one of his least sympathetic roles, especially when he knocks down the even more unsympathetic Japanese manager (well played by Sab Shimono) and thereby shifts our sympathy to the Japanese. A neat plot trick. We also get to see the generational gap between the post World War II generation that lifted Japan from utter ruin to a world economic power in only a few decades, and the younger managers who don't feel they can say anything, but do want to be with their families (as shown in the birth of the daughter to Ito (Rodney Kageyama does a terrific job in a few small scenes. He adds a lot to the film).

We have learned a lot about working in a global economy since 1986. The Japanese have certainly suffered through their own terrible economic problems. I am glad the movie showed a positive ending with the two cultures forming an ability to work together even with much left to learn and work through.

While much has changed, the movie still holds up pretty well. But young people who never knew the paranoia of Japan from the 1980s might need to have some things explained to them.

This movie was so much fun! The story was real-life possibility
with a whole lot of laughs. Great for family viewing. I have seen
this movie several times and will watch again I am sure.

It was through this movie that I was first introduced to Michael Keaton, who I consider one of my favourite actors. The strength of this movie is that it tells the story for both sides of the cultural barrier and doesn't portray one as being better than the other. It is a film that both Westerners and Japanese can relate to. (In comparions, 'Mr Baseball' pushes the 'west is best' attitude when it comes to that sport.) Last year I rented 'Gung-ho' for the first time in many years. Watching this movie, while working in Japan, makes the premise ironic in retrospect. One needs only to look at Nissan , a once mighty automaker (and probable inspiration for the movie's 'Assan Motors') that had to turn to Renault to help it out, to see that fortunes in the Japanese economy have changed greatly since the time of this movie. Hence, the film is interesting in a nestalgic sort of way too.

I worked in a theater with this movie in 1986, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Never saw a Japanese person back then, never had any intention either. Now, after being intertwined with japanese culture, and having visited 4 times, I think the film is quaint but fun.

If you look at past films that were a reflection of the events of the time, naturally you will be upset. But, some people also get upset when they look at the nutritional content on their box of corn flakes, and cause constipation in the morning. This was a romp based on the times, and had roots in reality.

Apologies to those who can't find humor in parody and lampoon, even if it is cultural.

I have seen this movie probably 10 times since it came out in the theaters, and each time I find it just as funny and likeable. Sure, the characters are sterotyped almost to an extreme, but I have worked with both cultures (both a union blue collar, and a white collar-international based one), and there is a grain of truth to each. The movie had to be exagerated to show more impact, and coming together for the "hollywood effect". The head of the company Oishi Kazihiro played by Gedde Watanabe was my absolute favorite character in the movie, very human, great delivery of some of his lines, and just a good role. George Wendt did a good job as "a regular joe", much like his Norm character on Cheers. Michael Keaton's role displayed much of the turmoil a midlevel supervisor has to go through. Overall, the morals of telling the truth, and that people can work through cultures/lifestyle diffences are clear and pretty potent. Rent or buy this movie, it's worth it. Ron Howard did a descent job with this one,

After working ten years for a Japanese company, many memories came back as I watched this movie. Memories of many long hours, after work meetings that extended until bedtime, not being able to attend events with my family because "I had to work" and "Only thinking of the company". Ron Howard captures the Japanese work ethic very well in this movie.

This has been one of our families all time favorites. It's not only funny, but it's touching as well. It's as relevant socially today as when it was made. Some of the humor is subtle and so it should be viewed more than once. This movie is a classic and we feel is appropriate for our whole family as it does not have to utilize profanity, violence or other cheap shots to be truly funny. It is extremely well-written and the characters are cast to perfection. It's one of those magic movies where everything seems to work. A TOTALLY FEEL-GOOD EXPERIENCE!

This movie gives a glimpse of how America came to terms with its economic fallibility. In a way, it was prophetic becuase so many American companies have partnered with Japanese companies in just this manner, and had the same kinds of growing pains. Ron Howard gave a touchy subject his magic, and Gung Ho! is a hilarious and delightful story.

Some people find the movie a simplistic version of an American-Japanese culture clash. Don't be such a fuddy-duddy! Good comedies don't portray reality, but they make us THINK about reality, which is much more important. In that aspect, Ron Howard and his talented cast did a great job.

I am a lecturer in a business school. I use some part of this movie to illustrate the cross-cultural management issues to my students. All of them response that they learn a lot from this movie especially management issues. And they really enjoy this movie too.

I saw this movie as a result of a discussion on Japanese cars, and their physical superiority to American cars. Conveniently, my vocational teacher had a copy of this movie around [actually,he rented it from Hollywood Video]. I immediately fell in love with Keaton and his acting. But then again, here I am, expecting to see Pokemon adorning every possible sign in the Japanese streets, when the teacher tells me that this movie was made a long time before Pokemon. However, all subtle stupidities aside, I thought it was a great movie; very reflective of Japan's style of automotive building, and of America's socio-economic condition [at the time of filming,anway]. It fully illustrated to me the essence of what our teacher had been grunting on and on about all year; that America will take whatever steps necessary to avoid any decent, hard labor. All in all, it's a well-round film-good casting [Keaton, Goodman],great acting [especially on Keaton's side of things],and an AMAZING plot. I mean, you just don't see movies like this anymore!