GUNG HO. Directed by Ron Howard; written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel; produced by Tony Ganz and Deborah Blum for Paramount. Starring Michael Keaton and Gedde Watanabe. Rated PG-13 (language).
More reviews by —
TITLE:
RATING:
Michael Keaton's best work, it seems, comes either in movies directed by Ron Howard (Night Shift) or where his character is connected to the auto industry (Mr. Mom). In Gung Ho, both charms are working for him. And while this movie isn't twice as good as the earlier ones, it's definitely in their class. Which makes it well worth seeing.
Hunt (Keaton) is a former auto plant foreman in a small Pennsylvania town. The closing of the plant has nearly dealt the town a death blow. Desperate measures are called for. So Hunt is dispatched to Japan to try and "sell" Assan Motors, who are looking for an American branch, on the plant and the town.
Eventually the deal goes through, and at first the Americans welcome the Japanese as the saviors they are. But then a combination of factors leads to problems: the institution of Japanese working methods (including lower wages and no union), the insensitivity of the new owners to the bruised American egos, and a growing resentment among the workers to their "second class" status. Hunt is given the job of employee liason, which quickly puts him between a Japanese rock and an American hard place.
The basic story of Gung Ho sounds like a depressing documentary, I know. It's a successful comedy largely due to Keaton's considerable comic gifts. But there is more to credit here. The script is fair, for one thing, and doesn't side with either the "natives" or the "invaders"—it pokes fun at both equally. In addition, the situation itself is never made light of. Its serious implications are accepted, then worked around. The movie is funny because the people in the situation are people who can be funny, not because their predicament is laughable.
There are scores of fine little touches, in dialogue, body language (Keaton's forte) and props. One such example occurs when the Japanese executives come to play a sandlot softball game dressed in complete uniforms. Another has Hunt trying to make a quick getaway from some angry colleagues and the handle falls off his car door (it's an American make, of course) and he has to climb in through the sunroof. You can't help but admire the comic artistry of these almost throwaway moments.
Keaton is in high form in Gung Ho. Hunt isn't as zany as Billy in Night Shift, but not as settled as Mr. Mom, either. In addition to having some very witty lines, he can get more mileage out of an eye movement, or a hitch of his belt, than lots of comedians get out of a string of one-liners.
Watanabe, as the plant's new boss, is a fine comedian as well. And he's also a very sympathetic straight man. I would challenge any moviegoer not to be in his corner as he struggles against the hard-liners back home to protect his job.
A few scenes in Gung Ho might be a shade too melodramatic. And the ending is certainly implausible. But overall the movie displays an amazing balance between humor and seriousness, fiction and reality. Howard has made very few mistakes in the movies he's directed. And Gung Ho is no exception. I've come to anticipate his upcoming movies as eagerly as those of any other director.
April 9, 1986