It's the mid-1980s, and the small western Pennsylvania city of Hadleyville is in trouble. Both the underwear manufacturer and the car plant have recently closed their doors and taken their operations elsewhere. Assan Motors of Japan has expressed interest in reopening the car plant under its name, but they need someone to convince them.

Enter hometown favorite Hunt Stevenson (Michael Keaton), who was a work supervisor with the former car plant -- and also a local sports hero, years before. He travels to Japan, makes his pitch, but comes home feeling like a failure. Nevertheless: he makes a good enough impression that Assan representatives soon arrive in town.

Meanwhile, Oishi Kazihiro (Gedde Watanabe) has been assigned to manage the new plant. This is his big chance to prove himself. Back in Japan, he had been punished for being a failure at management. He can make a fresh start in Hadleyville. Right off the bat, though, he learns that American workers don't behave like Japanese ones. Both he and Hunt need to be successful so that this enterprise will work. Otherwise, they will let down their friends and colleagues as well as the company, and ultimately, the town. Can the two sides learn to work together, in order to become a cohesive team?

Hunt's girlfriend Audrey (Mimi Rogers) is initially supportive of his involvement. So are his friends and coworkers, which include Buster (George Wendt) and Paul (Clint Howard). Even Mayor Conrad Zwart (Rance Howard) is gleeful about the arrangement ... at least, at first. (Yes, this is a Howard family affair.) Will the car plant's performance meet the expectations of the head of Assan Motors, Mr. Sakamoto (Soh Yamamura)? He looks like one serious dude.

(If you are a Pittsburgh sports fan of any ilk, you will appreciate all of the black and gold that is worn by the residents of Hadleyville.)

The movie is well cast. Keaton is utterly convincing in the role of the well-known native son. As such, he can be both inspirational and endearing; yet he can also be outed as a smartass who is disguising the fact that he is flying by the seat of his pants. The Japanese cast members show themselves to be individuals and not cookie-cutter stereotypes. And as usual, it's fun to see people that we "know" in the earlier days of their careers. Some of the 1980s cultural references will make you laugh. They were laughable, even back then.

Gung Ho may be the Ron Howard movie that you somehow missed from his catalogue. In a way, it's a two-sided fish-out-of-water story, and Hunt and Oishi are the ones who are caught in the middle of the net. Even 40 years later (!), this movie still has relevance and can still entertain. Give it a chance, especially if you've never seen it.