Gung Ho (1986)

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Edwin Blum (story)
Lowell Ganz (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 March 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

When East meets West, the laughs shift into high gear!

Plot:

When a Japanese car company buys an American plant, the American liason must mediate the clash of work attitudes between the foreign management and native labor.

Plot Keywords:

Japanese | Friendship | Fight The System | Fiat | Culture Clash

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Michael Keaton	...	Hunt Stevenson
Gedde Watanabe	...	Oishi Kazihiro
George Wendt	...	Buster
Mimi Rogers	...	Audrey
John Turturro	...	Willie
Sô Yamamura	...	Mr. Sakamoto (as Soh Yamamura)
Sab Shimono	...	Saito
Rick Overton	...	Googie
Clint Howard	...	Paul
Jihmi Kennedy	...	Junior
Michelle Johnson	...	Heather DiStefano
Rodney Kageyama	...	Ito
Rance Howard	...	Mayor Conrad Zwart
Patti Yasutake	...	Umeki Kazihiro (as Patti Yasuiake)
Jerry Tondo	...	Kazuo

Also Known As:

Working Class Man

Runtime:

112 min | USA:111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:L | South Korea:All | New Zealand:PG | Finland:S | Norway:11 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Beaver, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Many of the Japanese actors from the film reprised their roles for the short-lived television series "Gung Ho" (1986).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Hunt and his girlfriend are driving home from the airport they pass the same parked school bus at least twice without having ever made a turn.

Quotes:

Mr. Sakamoto: [to Hunt] I like you. You make me laugh.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cars (2006)

Soundtrack:

DON'T GET ME WRONG

Not edgy, but funny

Surprised to see the rather low score for this movie. Just saw this film for the first time in 10 years, and was reminded why I like it.

Come back with me, children, to a time when Michael Keaton was a straight-up comedy guy, and you might find some joy in this film. It's a gentle comedy -- the kind Ron Howard specializes in -- but if that's your thing, you should check this out. Keaton's low-key charm is just right for this project.

"Gung Ho" is a bit dated, because it takes places in the last stage of the pre-global economy world, when it still mattered what country a business was based in. That said, it delivers laughs as well as a lesson on how people can learn from each other, to great benefit.

You could watch this film and enjoy it without remembering one scene in particular you really liked, but that's because the whole movie provides a slow but constant stream of laughs. It's like an I.V. drip. And I mean that in a good way.