Gung Ho

Gung Ho is a comedy-drama set in a Pennsylvania town whose automobile plant has shut down, putting many residents out of work. Hoping to revive the local economy, worker Hunt Stevenson travels to Tokyo and persuades a Japanese automaker to reopen the factory as an American branch. The company agrees, and Hunt returns home as a local hero. His standing quickly becomes complicated when he is expected to act as the go-between for the new Japanese management and the American workforce. The plant's Japanese manager faces his own difficulties, including colleagues who question his authority, while the long-time union employees resist unfamiliar rules and demands concerning quality and discipline. Hunt finds himself caught between the people he grew up with and the employers who now pay him.

Ron Howard directed the film, his fourth feature, following Cocoon and preceding Willow. Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel wrote the screenplay, and the cast is led by Michael Keaton as Hunt, with Gedde Watanabe, George Wendt, Mimi Rogers, John Turturro and Sō Yamamura among the credited players. Produced by Paramount on a budget of roughly 13 million dollars, it took in about 37 million worldwide, a solid return for a mainstream studio comedy of its period. Audience response has been moderate, with a 6.3 rating on IMDb from around 15,000 votes and 6.1 on TMDB from a much smaller sample, while critics' reviews average 5.5.