MovieChat Forums > An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) Discussion > Movie has NOT held up well

Movie has NOT held up well

posted 12 years ago by archer1267
35 replies | jump to latest

And I hope it never gets re-made for this reason: the notion of a girl only getting ahead by escaping with a Navy aviator is so...old-fashioned. In the 2013 version, Paula would go off to UW or WSU, either through a scholarship or working on campus, do well and make her own destiny, rather than shuffle around her podunk town and hope that a man sees her as more than a temporary FWB. Women have much greater choices today!

And while I loved the Gossett-Gere interplay, the "I'll never forget you" at the end made me howl!

[–] Lauraslipstick 12 years ago

There are plenty of women who still look for meal tickets. I can think of so many military wives with no education, no career prospects and don't want them, yet they want their husbands to be pilots, army rangers, navy seals and to make the money and have the prestige. It's still common for some women who don't want to get what they want on their own so they find a man to get it for them. They're not all military wives but I'm just using the ones I know as a relevant example.

[–] KobiyashiMauru 12 years ago

Women trying to get married to get ahead in the world? That doesn't happen anymore? Who knew?

[–] aavfreak (3387) 3 years ago

And I hope it never gets re-made for this reason: the notion of a girl only getting ahead by escaping with a Navy aviator is so...old-fashioned.

In the 2013 version, Paula would go off to do well and make her own destiny, rather than shuffle around her podunk town and hope that a man sees her as more than a temporary FWB.

Women have much greater choices today!

I'm thinking when this was posted to IMDb 9 years ago that there was no such thing as onlyfans.

[–] gd5150 12 years ago

Yeah so old fashioned. Now Paula would go off to one of the great American Universities of higher education where she could immediately be handed 100k in student loan debt and if she actually graduated, she might be lucky enough to get a job at Starbucks. College rules.

[–] ZolotoyRetriever 12 years ago

^lol, gd5150
Apropos of that, people might want to check out this link:
http://www.businessinsider.com/is-college-still-worth-it-penelope-trun k-2013-5

[–] Galagatron 12 years ago

Ha! I see so many people doing the exact same thing as the "Puget Sound Debs" and blatantly so, and not just around the military. There are a lot of people to whom getting into college is too much trouble to get anywhere, and gullible guys who will waste their lives for them.

Aside from that, why does a movie need to "hold up well"? It is a capsule of a time. I rewatch this and other movies partly because I want to see the haircuts, the clothes, the cars, and remember everything that was going on at the time.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] ZolotoyRetriever 12 years ago

^Well said. Just because the OP doesn't agree with what the movie portrays, doesn't mean that stuff doesn't still happen. What with many years of crappy economy and exorbitant higher education costs, I'd say lots of women are just as likely to be driven to snag a hubby with a secure (or prestigious, such as Navy pilot) government job, as portrayed in the film. College is not exactly a sure-fire road to security for women anymore.
http://www.businessinsider.com/is-college-still-worth-it-penelope-trun k-2013-5

[–] Tommen_Forever 8 years ago

College is not exactly a sure-fire road to security for women anymore.

It isn't for men either.

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[–] fiatlux-1 12 years ago

Paula had choices, even in 1980. You nailed it when you said she had no ASPIRATION. That means she did have a choice, but no drive to do it.
She could have gotten a loan or if she hadn't completed high school (I don't believe it was mentioned whether she did or not) she could easily go back especially in a small town. Today or then.
She wasn't as bad as her evil manipulative friend Lynette, but she was a gold-digger in a way herself.

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

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[–] manofsteel4455 12 years ago

You mean to tell me there's not one voice of intelligence on this thread?

You want to play the game, you'd better know the rules, love.
-Harry Callahan

[–] moochiebaby 11 years ago

Yeah. The notion that women today, especially attractive ones, dont marry for money and instead go to college is so realistic. Get serious!

[–] Connie_n_Raymond_Marble 11 years ago

Women have come a long way, yes, but there are still plenty of them like Paula and Lynette around. You see them every single day. And this movie is just as touching to me today as it was when it first came out.

We'll see who's the filthiest person alive! We'll just see!

[–] huwdj 11 years ago

I think you're wrong there but I suppose, just to be PC, it could always be remade as An Officer And Her Gentleman.

[–] Tommen_Forever 8 years ago

Terrific title!

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