Gung Ho

[pennywisdom]

What do you guys think about the Ron Howard film Gung Ho? I thought it was vastly underrated and easily one of the best comedies of the 80s.

Race relation is a huge issue in America, and I still can't think of a single film that deals with this topic in such a humorous and fair way. The most remarkable thing about that movie is that nothing really feels tacked-on or falsely PC. It's easy to make a movie that claims people should be more open-minded to those of differing cultural and social backgrounds, but those movies often run of the risk of being schmaltzy and fake. Gung Ho is a bit dated, but it's deliberately political, so that happens.

Bonus points for repping PA and starring the vastly underrated (Pittsburgh-born) Michael Keaton. Keaton is one of my all-time favorite actors. Very cool without losing his "everyman" vibe, he's a really good smartass and his characters are all affable. Plus, this film features George Wendt in his best role outside Cheers. Don't forget the obligatory Clint Howard appearance.

Any thoughts?

[Buzz Dixon]

I liked it. I wish studios would make more films that deal with real life situations and not put so many eggs in the extreme action/slapstick comedy baskets.

[The Batman]

i hadn't actually seen this movie until about 5 years or so ago when i caught it on TV on a lazy sunday afternoon. a really good movie that shows off Michael Keaton's comedy chops well. the other thing i really liked about this movie, and many of the other comedies of the 80's like Mr. Mom or Trading Places for example, was their relevence. sure they were funny and somewhat slapstickish but they also addressed contempory issues in a meaningful way.