Movie has NOT held up well

I think the movie has held up just fine. Women have a more prominent place in our military now than they did at the time of this movie, but they still show women in OCS right beside Mayo and the other men.

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SpecialFlightRules.com

You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas.

Got two words for the OP: Janey Palmer

I agree that women have greater options, choices and examples of strong female predecessors to motivate them, they will still have flaws in character like the men do. Flaws that will lead them to see true value as a materialistic one. When this is what you value, attaching yourself to the success of another will always remain an option that some might pursue.

This film is not supposed to "hold up well". It is set in1980/82 and accurately represents the status of some small town working class women AT THAT TIME. Paula and Lynette were just another generation of workers being raised to serve at that factory. Neither their schools or their families expected much more from them than that. (Do see Norma Rae -it is a better film, and is more focused on this issue.) This movie is about Zack's ambition. Paula had some pluck about her, and that's why Zack was attracted to her. However, her choice of motivational reading - Cosmo, and friends - Lynette, was not going to get her a scholarship anytime soon.

Come to think of it, how did a guy like Zack get into that program? All the others were college grads. Was there mention of Zack's education? He was clueless about the math.

This post has not held up well after a few years. These 2 women are from a small town, they're cute but average, which is real, and their families are not connected in the least other than they got great jobs at the paper mill. Probably have full union benefits and make a decent wage for the time.

A woman then, and today, has a much better chance at wealth by utilizing her looks to land a man who's successful. The difference is today she'll be required to have an education and career as well. But the reality is in order for her to pay off her endless college loans, she's going to have a much better chance at finding a man who makes 6 figures, than herself who at best would make high 5 figures. And thats maybe 1 in 10 college grads. The rest, drop out, or end up in some stupid job because they majored in liberal arts. So they end up working at Starbucks for $8hr. The 600mo they have to pay back for college loans, oh that doesn't go away. At least not for 15+ years.

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Just because they would do the movie differently now doesn't mean that 1982 is any less relevant. You don't think with the BILLIONS of people on Planet Earth, there still aren't gold-digging women in today's world?

Actually, this movie, like many older films, holds up exceptionally well due to great writing, pacing, and acting. This might not be considered one of the all-time great films, but it's still a damn good movie with a heart, a strong story, and a satisfying ending.

Women had choices in 1982 as well, certainly if they wanted to make the effort to gain better qualifications, get a better job etc. Though obviously that is harder if you're poor. but the fantasy of being swept off your feet by a handsome virile man is one that many women still have - hence the enduring popularity of this film, and of more recent romantic fictions like the Twilight series for instance, Human nature doesn't really change that much.

At some times, then and now, and in some places, it's about that life. Paula and Lynette lived in a down and out town surrounded by down and out folks who couldn't get out - or didn't think they could, which amounts to the same thing. Yet every day there was a "princess" lottery called "who could snag a naval guy and ride him out of town into a better life?" Actually the same thing happens today - some women, no matter the social class or place, want a husband with money who can make their lives easier and go searching for him. Few women, feminists or not, would turn him down from the get go if he happens to come along.

During the course of the film if Paula woke up and said "I'm going to be an aviator," that would be all well and good but she'd be in for quite a long haul at that point because most likely she only has a high school diploma and she's in her early 20's. Of course if you really want something and you're willing to pay the price of the long haul to get it, it may be worth it. To be honest, if I were in Paula's shoes, I'd feel no shame being the blue collar damsel-in-financial-distress "saved" by Ensign Mayo - fine as he looked in his Navy whites! - escaping Puget Sound drudgery, starting a family, and seeing some other parts of the world. Probably for many in the US that's all too 1960s - even for a film in the 1980s - but to each her own!

And the movie has actually held up very well because the acting is great, the story is engaging, and the lead's issues in general are current and relatable. Human nature doesn't change.