Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

 Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

“Goooooooooooooood Morning, Vietnammmmmmmm.”

When you hear Robin Williams and his manic energy bellow those lines for the very first time, you know you are in for a treat. This movie finally proved to the world how gifted of an actor Williams really was. Everyone knew about his comic skills and he proudly displays them here, but you see that his character goes through some bittersweet moments of self-discovery. Here, you realize that this comedian can nail the dramatic bits. Director Barry Levinson used William’s comedian skills against him which allowed him to draw a stronger performance. If you were to grow tired of his schtick, you will be impressed with his dramatic portions. I have only seen him in Moscow on the Hudson prior to this film’s 1987 release, and it is a more impressive performance-one that earned him his first of four Academy Award nominations.

Williams’s performance is based off the life of real Vietnam-era DJ, Adrian Cronauer. In 1979, Cronauer pitched his life experiences as a sitcom to the big studios. Despite M.A.S.H being a wild success at the time, they felt like war should not be used for comedy. Williams eventually got hold of the script and was impressed. Screenwriter Mitch Markowitz took over the script and almost completely changed the treatment. Essentially, more entertainment value was added. Some scenes that were never meant for an accurate portrayal such as the hilarious scene where Williams taught his English class how to swear and his pursuit of Vietnamese women did not happen in reality. But they did beef up the movie situations! Once Williams took the basic structure of Markowitz’s script, it was off to the races. Levinson gave Williams leeway in terms of his improvisation. His radio monologues were generally hilarious.

Following the recent successes of Platoon and Full Metal Jacket, we get another Vietnam War film. The tone is a touch lighter (thanks to the immediate presence of Robin Williams) but manages to pull some dramatic strings. The audience responded with positive reviews and made this film the fourth-highest grossing film domestically in 1987. Of the two films Levinson directed in 1987 (with Richard Dreyfuss’s Tin Men being the other one), this is the better of the two. In addition to the lead actor, it has a great supporting cast. Levinson did a good job on setting an even tone of comedy/drama. Of course, the soundtrack is excellent. Cronauer has some excellent taste in rock’n’roll. (with apologies to the Percy Faith-loving CO).

Without much background on the man, we are immediately introduced to Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams) who is shipped from Crete to Vietnam to deliver comedy for the Armed Forces Radio. With his nonstop rapid delivery and a more modern music taste, he becomes an instant hit with the troops. Management, especially the immediate CO Lt. Steven Hauk (Bruno Kirby) and Sgt. Major Dickerson (J.T. Walsh) do not approve of his antics. He becomes good friends with one of the soldiers, Edward Garlick (Forest Whitaker) and he tries to woo the Vietnamese ladies. In addition, he teaches English to the local Vietnamese and he also experiences war action, something that would humble even a comedic DJ celebrity.

I can make this entire review talking about how amazing Robin Williams is, but I really did enjoy the supporting cast in which Levinson was able to humanize. The best part about the cast is how Williams’s peers, especially his commanding officers, react to his nonsense. I was in stitches. Bruno Kirby is excellent and unrecognizable (with the exception of his voice). J.T. Walsh was likewise great. And Forest Whitaker had excellent chemistry with Williams. Keep an eye out for solid character actors like Richard Portnow and Robert Wuhl.

Overall, Good Morning, Vietnam is another film that tackles the war in an era with plenty of them, but it comes at it with a unique angle. Robin Williams is the film’s star, and his improvisation is just a reason to watch his performance. But he also undertakes an important journey of self-discovery where he learns it is just not about the jokes. There are some moments of hilarious craziness, and moments of intensity. The film goes a little long in the tooth at times and not all of Williams’s jokes work for me. But those are small complaints. If you want to see Robin Williams at the top of his game, here you go!

My Grade: B+