Review: Gung Ho
Before the big anime invasion of the 1990s, America saw Japan as a place of great cultural mystery. Their cars and electronics were flooding into our market, but we still had no clue about Japan outside of old WWII Bugs Bunny cartoons.
But we were curious…
A product of that curiosity is a movie called Gung Ho–released in 1986, directed by Ron Howard and starring Michael Keaton. The plot revolves around a small mid-western town whose lives depend on the local auto factory keeping everyone employed. The factory’s previous owner shut the place down, so Hunt Stevenson (Keaton) flies off to Japan to convince a Japanese auto manufacturer to set up shop there. They accept, there’s a culture clash, but everyone comes to terms in the end.
I enjoy this movie not because it’s not your typical “East meets West and hilarity ensues” comedy, but because of there’s a noteworthy subtext in the film’s message. One that sheds an unpleasant light on American culture. More disturbing is that it’s as relevant now as it was 15 years ago.
As Americans, we’ve been raised in a depraved society for the past couple generations. The movie addresses how the Americans (and we) believe that we’re the best–deserve the best–even though we’ve done little to actually deserve it.
The workers of the town had it pretty cushy and had gotten too used to those comfortable conditions. Even in a situation where they’re desperate to save their families, they whine and moan, with a strong sense of entitlement. They fail to understand that in order to succeed (or sometimes just survive) you have to put your ego aside and bust some serious ass. It escapes them that their lax attitude is what caused the factory to originally fail.
In the movie, the Stevenson is told by the factory’s management that if the workers don’t cooperate, he’ll be fired the plant will be shut down. However, they make the offer that if the factory is able to match the company’s production record (15,000 cars in one month), the plant can stay and everyone receives their previously higher wages.
When Stevenson breaks the news, the workers revolt. In order to get them to agree, Stevenson feeds them a lie that if they settle for 13,000 cars, they get a partial raise. The workers agree to this, setting this as their goal, dismissing the opportunity for a greater reward.
As part of our sense of entitlement, we don’t know what it’s like to work hard for what we want. We’ve been raised instead to accept the silver or bronze medal; to settle for less because it’s easier. Unfortunately, real life doesn’t often work that way. You either fight for the prize or walk away hungry.
By the film’s end (and I don’t mean to spoil it for you), the American workers realize that they’re the ones that have to compromise in order to save their town. Meanwhile, the Japanese warm up to valuing quality time with friends and family as much as the pride in one’s work.
In1992 a similar movie came out, Mr. Baseball, with Tom Selleck, though there’s more of a romantic incentive for his character to conform. Gung Ho is worth at least a rental, though I’m sure you could buy the DVD for under $5. I promise that despite my rantings, it’s a very clever comedy.
Strangely enough, there was a TV series based on the film, starring Scott Bakula in place of Michael Keaton as Hunt Stevenson, though some of the movie’s cast reprise their roles for television. It’s no surprise however that the series only lasted nine episodes, since there’s no way it could live up to the film.
