An Officer and a Gentleman

“Life gave him nothing, except the courage to win...and a woman to love.”

The Navy's Aviation Officer Candidate School runs thirteen weeks, and Zack Mayo (Richard Gere) arrives wanting a pilot's wings and not much else. Sergeant Emil Foley (Louis Gossett Jr.) takes one look at the cold, self-involved cadet and decides to ride him harder than anyone. Taylor Hackford follows Zack through the drills and the nights with Paula Pokrifki (Debra Winger), where he holds back the same part of himself that Foley is trying to break open.