Gung Ho (1986)

Why go out of your way for the Japanese' help if you're going to complain about it the whole time? One of the Americans asks why they can't just leave them alone and let them do things the way they know how to. Uhh, maybe because you've just sought their help, they're here now, and both of you have committed to it?

Fmovies: OK, we all like Michael Keaton and it's fun to sit back and watch a light silly 80s movie. The only thing is after Night Shift and Mr. Mom, they must have ran out of ideas because this one fell far short. It had some funny moments and some decent ideas, but it didn't really go anywhere. There was a strange awkwardness throughout the whole film as if there wasn't a clear vision of what was supposed to happen. Many scenes were almost funny or even almost dramatic, but very rarely hit the mark. Also, by the late 80s pop music hit an absolute low and here we get to sample some of the most awful tunes including one near the end in the factory that actually spoiled a scene that could have accomplished something. I must also point out the strange acting or was it bad casting or directing? Watanabe was great in Sixteen Candles, but was he a little young to play a top executive or was that just me? George Wendt was very odd, doing things that didn't quite make sense or feel right. I really wanted to like it and I guess it was pleasant enough, but I realize now why it's only rated a 5.7. It reminded me of The Dream Team- you wished it was good, but it just wasn't.

Michael Keaton used to be a great comedy actor and before he pretty much left comedy he made some great comedies in the eighties like Mr. Mom, Beetlejuice, and Gung Ho. Gung Ho is a bit dated as far as the "Japanese stealing American jobs" idea is concerned. Still, it's a fun, light hearted family comedy of the type that Ron Howard excels in making. The supporting cast bring up the rear quite well with the likes of George Wendt, Gedde Wanatabe, and John Turturro. Ron Howard manages to fit his brother Clint into the movie like he always does and thank God that Ron became a director or Clint would be wandering the streets somewhere. The story itself contains a continuous series of laughs and also has the moral of "we can learn from each other" at the end. Bottom Line: A serviceable 80's comedy from Michael Keaton's glory days.

Gung Ho fmovies. A very funny east-meets-west film influenced by the closure of GM's Flint, Michigan plant in the eighties and the rise and integration of Japanese automakers in the US. Set in western Pennsylvania, it features great performances by Michael Keaton, Gedde Watanabe, and George Wendt. Music by blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan.

This comedy is bound to be good from the get-go. East meets west and east doesn't want to lose...west doesn't know what losing is like. It starts a little slow but it grabs you very soon and it doesn't let go. This is definitely worth seeing.

Way, way back in the 1980s, long before NAFTA was drafted and corporations began to shed their national identities, the United States and Japan were at each other's throat in the world manufacturing race. Remember sayings like 'Union Yes!,' 'the Japanese are taking this country over,' and 'Americans are lazy?'

As the Reagan era winded down and corporations edged towards a global marketplace, director Ron Howard made one of several trips into the comedy genre with his 1986 smash 'Gung Ho,' which drew over $36 million in U.S. box office receipts. While in many ways dated, Howard's tongue-in-cheek story of colliding cultures in the workplace still offers hard truth for industrial life today.

'Gung Ho' focuses on Hunt Stevenson (Michael Keaton), the automakers union rep from Hadleyville, a small, depressed town in the foothills of Pennsylvania. Stevenson has been asked to visit the Assan Motor Company in Tokyo (similar to real-life Toyota), which is considering a U.S. operation at the town's empty plant. With hundreds of residents out of work and the town verging on collapse, Assan decides to move in and Stevenson is hired as a liaison between company officials and workers on the assembly line.

The 112 minutes of 'Gung Ho' is a humorous look at these two sides, with their strengths and weaknesses equally considered: on one hand, an American workforce that values its traditions but is often caught in the frenzy of pride and trade unionism; on the other hand, Japanese workers who are extremely devoted to their job yet lacking in personal satisfaction and feelings of self-worth. In Stevenson, we find an American working class figure of average intelligence with the skills to chat people through misunderstandings. With the survival of his workers' jobs and most of Hadleyville on the line, Stevenson proves a likable guy who wants nothing more than a fair chance, although his cleverness will sink him into a great deal of trouble. Besides answering to the heads of Assan, we witness a delicate balancing act between Stevenson and his fellow union members, many of whom he grew up with. This includes Buster (George Wendt), Willie (John Turturro), and Paul (Clint Howard, Ron's brother).

The Japanese cast is headed by Gedde Watanabe, also known for 'Sixteen Candles' and 'Volunteers.' Watanabe plays Kazihiro, the plant manager who is down on his luck and begins to feel a sympathy for American life. He is constantly shadowed by Saito (Sab Shimono), the nephew of Assan's CEO who is desperate to take his spot in the pecking order. While given a light touch, these characters fare very well in conveying ideas of the Japanese working culture.

With Hunt Stevenson dominating the script, Michael Keaton has to give a solid performance for this film to work. 'Gung Ho' is indeed a slam-dunk success for Keaton, who also teamed with Ron Howard in 1994's 'The Paper.' He made this film during a string of lighter roles that included 'Mr. Mom,' 'Beetle Juice,' and 'The Dream Team' before venturing into 'Batman,' 'One Good Cop,' and 'My Life.' It's also hard not to like Gedde Watanabe's performance as the odd man out, who first wears Japanese ribbons of shame before teaming up with Stevenson to make the auto plant a cohesive unit.

The supporting cast is top-notch, including Wendt, Turturro, Shimono, and Soh Yamamura as Assan CEO Sakamoto. Mimi Rogers suppli