Movie Review: Gung Ho with Michael Keaton
- Starring: Michael Keaton, Gedde Watanabe, George Wendt, Mimi Rogers, John Turturro, Dennis Sakamoto
- Year Released: 1986
- Length: 1h 52m, rated PG13
- Directed by Ron Howard
Summary
Japanese corporation takes over a small-town USA car manufacturing plant with the urging of a local plant foreman. The two cultures clash as they try to come together to work to save jobs.
Movie clip:
It was a very long time ago when I first saw this movie, and I didn’t remember much about it when I decided to watch it again for this review. I thought I remembered more scenes of cutesy get-along team-building exercises, but I was wrong. I have no idea why I thought any of those scenes were in the movie. Maybe it was just the softball game scene I remember as some character-building drill.
And whew-boy, by today’s standards, this movie would be canceled. I am surprised the woke mob hasn’t hunted down Michael Keaton and shamed him for the stereotyping of Asians. Yikes. I am not complaining; it was a different time back then. Period.
The movie was funny, but you will have to pay close attention to get some of the under-your-breath humor. For example, when Hunt Stevenson (Michael Keaton) first lands in the board room in Japan to convince them to come to America, he says something like, “My father was here in the late 1940s…” before he trails off.
There is also some drama going on. It is not just the clash of cultures but also a short accident scene in the factory. And the horrible cringe scene with George Wendt’s character being slightly drunk in the grocery store harassing the wife of the Japanese executive. Of course, when Hunt Stevenson tells his girlfriend to shut up while having dinner at the newcomers’ house, you can imagine that didn’t end well either.
Three Coffee Cups
Overall, I give the movie 3 out of 5 coffee cups. I am giving coffee cups instead of stars. I love coffee. The film was entertaining, but I don’t think it has aged well. It was great for a movie in the mid-1980s. I mean, unless a film is a total crap show full of woke nonsense, it’s probably going to get a decent review from me. The escape is where it’s at for me. If you can transport me somewhere for a few hours to get my mind off current affairs to entertain me, I’m in.
When this movie came out in 1986, I was 18 or 19 years old and in the United States Navy. Before that, as a younger teenager, I remember my grandpa always talking about buying American-made cars. He worked for the steel mills all his life.
So, maybe this movie reflected what was going on at that time.
In the 1970s, American automakers had a problem. Due to a combination of complacency towards quality, dismissive sentiments towards small cars, and a series of oil shocks, a gaping hole opened up in the American automotive landscape big enough to drive truckloads of Japanese imports through. Cars like the Honda Civic and Datsun B210 were small, efficient, and exactly what Americans needed to fight fuel price blues. What’s more, by the 1970s, Japanese automakers figured out how to make cars that were reasonably reliable. Contrast that with overheating Chevrolet Vegas and fiery Ford Pintos, and Japanese cars became magnetic indeed. – TheAutopian.com
I guess this is one of those movies that doesn’t age well. The signs of the time are that no one has a sense of humor, or you can’t joke around like that anymore. This movie is fun if you want to be taken back to the easier days of humor and entertainment. If you pull it up to stream tonight, I don’t think you’d be disappointed. That is if you are 50 years of age or older.
Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton has a ton of movies to his name, and I’ll be watching more of his older stuff. Next up will be Pacific Heights. Keaton is known for his comedic roles, so Pacific Heights will be interesting. Pacific Heights is another movie I watched when it first came out in 1990. All I remember about it is that it was a more serious role for Keaton, as he plays a creep. I remember it as a psychological thriller.
In the works for Michael Keaton is Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which is a follow-up to the 1988 Beetlejuice. Michael Keaton is 72 years old. I know. I was flabbergasted, too.
Shockingly, #MichaelKeaton was only on screen for about 17 minutes in #Beetlejuice, meaning he was seen in less than 20% of the overall movie. 🤯#BeetlejuiceBeetlejuice is expected to have a longer runtime than the original’s 92 minutes. ⏰ https://t.co/rdKXrjFRBT pic.twitter.com/yo6kRzlxbJ
— Screen Rant (@screenrant) March 31, 2024
Michael Keaton has won several acting awards throughout the years. Some notable awards are the Golden Globes for Dopesick (2022), Birdman (2015), and the Screen Actors Guild for Dopesick.
Gedde Watanabe, who played opposite Michael Keaton as Oishi Kazihiro, the very young Japanese executive who tried to do his country honor but ultimately came down on the side of American ways, has had a long career in acting in movies and television. You probably remember him most from Sixteen Candles, where he played Long Duk Dong.
The soundtrack for Gung Ho was decent enough. Songs like Tuff Enuff performed by The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Don’t Get Me Wrong by The Pretenders, and Twisted Sister’s We’re Not Gonna Take It took me back to easier times.
Fun Fact: the phrase gung ho is not Japanese. It is a Chinese expression meaning to work in harmony.
I will also discuss this movie review on my podcast if you want to check it out.
Feature Image: Michael Keaton/Gedde Watanabe/Wikipedia/License 3.0 and 4.0/Edited in Canva Pro
