Howard's Comedy "Gung Ho” Isn't Funny

iviovit; Keview Howard's comedy "Gung Ho” isn’t funny lue of the individual. It never Too many of the gags are easily actor behaves like an idiot most By Matt Diedrich really gets any more compli predictable, based on Japanese of the time doesn’t help matters Reporter cated than that, or any more in stereotypes, or just not funny. either. teresting. Gedde Watanabe, who ap The viewer does find himself peared in “Sixteen Candles” and becoming more involved in the To make matters worse, the “Volunteers,” achieves some With the back-to-back suc movie’s second half, mainly be writers insist upon giving Kea success as the leader of the cesses of “Splash” and “Co cause the filmmakers decide to ton an endless string of “rous management team. His charac coon” under his belt, director ter is certainly more believable Ron Howard is starting to look and more likable than Keaton’s, like the next Steven Spielberg. and he frequently steals scenes Like Spielberg, he has received Whenever Keaton tries to crack a joke, the from his co-star. high praise for his ability to Japanese respond with blank, unamused make hit movies that display a iWimi Rogers gives an unim lot of heart. stares. Unfortunately, the audience will Yet even Spielberg had his likely react the same way. pressive non-performance as “1941,” and now Howard con Keaton’s girlfriend, in a role tinues the tradition with his which requires her to dump new movie “Gung Ho,” a lame him when he’s a jerk and take comedy that simply isn’t funny. throw in a little more plot. Dur ing speeches” and, towards the him back when he makes up Michael Keaton stars as Hunt ing this section of the film, Kea end, upon getting him into a for it. Stevenson, an auto worker who ton arranges a contest of sorts. few too many fistfights. Even George Wendt of convinces a Japanese company If the Americans can build Yet some of the blame has to “Cheers,” normally an asset to to re-open the plant in his fi 15,000 cars in one month (the go to Howard and the cast. any movie, has trouble as one of nancially-ailing hometown. Japanese record), they will re Many of the jokes were proba Keaton’s worker-buddies. His When the company sends a ceive a much-needed raise. bly funny as written, but fall character comes off as a big management team to teach the This sequence provides a few flat on the screen due to ill- oted creep who never really re American workers the Japanese honest laughs and some emo timed delivery. Howard needs deems himself. style of auto making, a predic tional impact, but by then it’s to regain the sense of comic “Gung Ho” even makes the table culture clash results. too late. Howard and company timing that he displayed so unfortunate mistake of con have already blown it. flawlessly in his earlier films. stantly reminding the viewer Part of the fault lies in the Keaton could also use a how bad it is. Whenever Keaton script of Lowell Ganz and Ba- change. His hyperkinetic wise tries to crack a joke, for in T^he Japanese tiy to teach the baloo Mandel. It contains very guy bit may have worked won stance, the Japanese respond Americans the value of working little real insight into the prob ders in “Night Shift” and “Mr. with blank, unamused stares. as a team, while the Americans lems of its characters, and its Mom,” but in “Gung Ho” it’s ir Unfortunately, the audience try to teach the Japanese the va humor content is even slimmer. ritating. The fact that his char- will likely react the same way. — 3 —.

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