Gung Ho
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Movie Reviews of Gung Ho
Movie Review: Still holds up well after 20 years. Doesn't take sides and shows cultures finding ways to finally work together.
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
Movie Review: Descent movie, a good movie about teamwork and telling the truth
Summary: 4 Stars
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,Movie Review: Been waiting for this one ...
Summary: 4 Stars
Believe it or not I have been eagerly anticipating the release of Gung Ho! on DVD. Not sure how much longer my battered and bruised VHS copy can last! This one just screams the 1980's. Remember when some folks were in a bit of a panic because the Japanese were buying up America? Ron Howard directs this feel good flic about an American town seeking the help of a Japanese company to put them to work. Michael Keaton gives us his smarmy but very likeable charecter. Gedde Watanabe a.k.a. "Long Duck Dong" gives a good performance as does George Wendt. Look for a young John Turturro as well. July 16th will be spent on my couch vegging out with this classic 80's comedy.Movie Review: A fun movie about a tough time in America
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
Movie Review: Working Class Man
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie was released in Australia as 'Working Class Man' and I believe that it even had the Jimmy Barnes hit dubbed into the sound track at the end of the movie.Thoroughly enjoyed the movie and encourage anyone who has not seen it to have a look and judge for themselves.
From an Australian point of view, still too American, perhaps some fun made of the Japanese, but like I said, judge for yourselves.