Good Morning, Vietnam

Starring: Robin Williams, Forrest Whittaker, J.T. Walsh
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama, War
Box Office: $
1987

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A hilarious and fun DJ (Robin Williams) is assigned to a radio station in Saigon during the Vietnam War. His brand of humor and high energy hijinks anger his CO (J.T. Walsh) and others conspire to shut him down. However, his radio show picks up the morale of the troops, who love him.

Review:

Tim: This is a truly funny comedy and also a very interesting look at the Vietnam War. The film works because Robin Williams tackles the role with energy and excitement that infects the whole movie and makes it much, much better than it otherwise would be.

Williams makes an amazing DJ- he speaks a mile and minute and his jokes come just as quickly. You really have to pay attention or you'll miss something truly funny. He very deservingly was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance.

Even more memorable than Williams' humor are all the obstacles he must overcome to stay on the air. He has a healthy disregard for authority, which gets him in a great deal of trouble. With two superiors who find him obscene and detrimental to the army, even Williams' popularity with the troops might not save him. This is the most fascinating part of the film.

Good Morning Vietnam slows down quite a bit when Williams chases a girl and sees how the Vietnamese people live. While this is important to the movie, and especially to understanding the culture and history of Vietnam, it tends to be a bit boring. This regrettably slows the film to a crawl.

This is a comedy that manages to be fairly dramatic and shows a very realistic view of the Vietnam War.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Mrs. Doubtfire, Aladdin, Wag the Dog, Dead Poets Society