Gung Ho (1986)

Like many of the comedies from director Ron Howard, whose sensibilities were clearly forged in the network television situation comedies of the 1970s, this film is effectively funny and entertaining, but handled with a touch that's just a little obvious and lightweight. The script by frequent Howard collaborators Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel has enormous fun with the clash of cultures concept, however, and the film yields enough belly laughs to sustain its feature-length run time. Michael Keaton re-creates his bug-eyed, energetic "wild man" schtick from his previous film with Howard, Night Shift (1982), while Gedde Watanabe gives the tale its much-needed grounding in reality as the uptight Japanese straight man. His performance is much more amusing than he'll likely ever be credited for, so subtle is he in comparison to the broadness of the rest of the proceedings. Gung Ho (1986) is not exceedingly clever or hilarious, but it's amusing enough for a look. Ironically, given the film's sitcom vibe, a television series spin-off was far less successful and quickly canceled. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide