ManiakJiggy This is How Movies Should Be Made

ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

diogomanuel Everyone who loves to watch movies and great performances by the main actors should watch this one. This movie isn't a comedy by any means but it has humour in spades to make one enjoy it and face the reality of what happened in Vietnam. It is amazing how humour does ease the pain and formidable hurdles one has to overcome in life (and especially in war)This is surely one of the best Robin Williams' movies and probably one of the best showcases of his personal life: bringing joy and laughter to those around him, not showing that he had to face his (inner) demons like everyone else around him... His talent is obvious in this one, and I miss him...A 10 out of 10 movie that everyone should watch.

Mobithailand 'Good Morning Vietnam', starring the late American comedian and movie mega-star, Robin Williams, is probably the most telling and memorable anti-war film made about the Vietnam war.I have mixed feelings about Williams as a comedian – I suppose I struggle a little with him in much the same way as Americans struggle with many British comics. He was undoubtedly a very gifted, genuinely funny man and when I succeeded in following his very fast repartee, I can laugh along with the best of them. But sometimes, his delivery is fast, and so 'American' that I just can't follow what he is saying, so most of his clever humour goes over my head. I do remember once watching him being interviewed on UK's Michael Parkinson chat show, some years ago and he was utterly hilarious and took the whole show over with his brilliant antics and 'one liners'. Maybe he slowed down his delivery a bit for us slow-witted Brits. He is also no slouch as a movie actor and has a string of successful hits to his name. I was never a great fan of Mrs. Doubtfire but I thought his performance in Dead Poets Society was truly inspirational.I like Williams a lot in Good Morning Vietnam and his wacky, spontaneous sense of humour was absolutely perfect for the role of the irreverent, entertaining DJ who was shipped over to Saigon to shake things up at the armed services radio station. The movie is based on the true experiences of a DJ who was sent there during the early days of the war, and he states that the story is about 40% accurate – but which 40%? Of course, we will never know. I still had problems with Williams' rapid-fire delivery and 'one-liners', when he was broadcasting 'on air' and sometimes I was lucky if I caught one joke in five of his deliveries. But that didn't matter, as he was in character and was playing the part of this crazy, funny DJ and I have no doubt that the GI's had no problems in understanding what he was saying.Interestingly, like The Deer Hunter, the entire Vietnam sequences (which are prevalent throughout the movie) were all shot in Thailand. I had not realized this until I read the closing credits, although I should have known something was amiss - the traffic was all driving on the left-hand side, whereas in Vietnam they drive on the right…. The Deer Hunter did not really deal with the Vietnam war as such, but merely used the war as a background to show the effects the war had on a group of blue-collar workers from America's hinterland. 'Good Morning Vietnam' on the other hand, was clearly an anti-war, anti-military bullshit-bureaucracy, where tin-pot, ignorant, myopic officers abused the power they had over their fellow soldiers. We can make some allowances for a certain degree of dramatic licence in the interest of a good story. But even so, the background to the movie was totally believable and certainly provided an interesting insight into how seeds were being sown, which would eventually lead to America's greatest military disaster. When the Williams character arrived in Saigon in 1965, the conflict in Vietnam was regarded as a local little skirmish, but by the time he was thrown out of the country, it had already developed into a full-scale war, even though news of the daily bombings in Saigon by Viet Cong terrorists and the general war escalation was kept from the local radio airwaves.Ironically, along with many other milestones, the Vietnam War eventually became the first war where the world could watch the 'action' from the front lines as they ate their dinner at home every night. It was the first time that unimpeded access was granted to journalists and TV crews.'Good Morning Vietnam' is funny, entertaining, sad and thought- provoking in equal measures. Enough time has now passed for the viewer to resist the urge to become too judgmental about the 'villains' of the piece' – the US military; but nevertheless, it remains an interesting film which helps us to understand why America's 'Dunkirk' will probably remain part of their psyche for many years to come. If you haven't yet seen it, I recommend you give it a go.

bigverybadtom This movie is based on the true story of an US Air Force man transferred from Crete to Vietnam in 1965 to be the new DJ of the US Army radio station, and when he goes on the air for the first time, he refuses to follow the dull format of the previous DJ or play the dull music that had been played. In the movie, the new DJ is in fact encouraged by his fellow enlisted soldiers to play contemporary pop music from Motown and The Beach Boys and engage in rapid-fire comedy patter. Various military people all laugh at the new DJ's verbal antics, but as might be expected, the military higher-ups are not pleased with the new DJ's irreverent program.A good potential idea, but poorly utilized. Robin Williams' routine was reportedly ad-libbed, but his comedy routine failed to be funny. The soldiers are all shown laughing, but one gets the idea that they do so because that is what they were hired to do. Rapid-fire comedy and silly verbal antics can be hilarious, but Williams was simply dull and boring, as if he wasn't sure exactly what he was supposed to do. I didn't bother to finish the film; what I saw of it shouted that it was going to be standard and clichéd, and what good is it to watch a comedian who is not funny?I wonder what the real-life DJ was like. He certainly must have been funnier.

brchthethird "Good Morning, Vietnam" is one of Robin Williams' best movies and was one of the first to really showcase his improvisational abilities. However, it's not just a comedy and in fact, the tone of the picture is more serious than you might think going in. While Robin Williams does get to let loose in several hilarious scenes as Air Force DJ Adrian Cronauer, there is an undercurrent of seriousness which seeks to examine the effect of the Vietnam War on Vietnamese citizens, as well as what the US troops endured. It's not particularly graphic, but it didn't really need to be. Up to the time this film was released there were several highly acclaimed films on the subject already. What sets this one apart is the character of Adrian Cronauer, who uses comedy to lighten the spirits of the men serving their country overseas. Still, the film isn't without its flaws. There is a romantic subplot that seemed shoehorned in just to give the film some extra conflict. Also, by virtue of coming later, none of the messages the film tries to get across were that original either. Still, it's worth seeing this movie for Robin Williams' performance alone. Forrest Whitaker also gives a good supporting turn as Cronauer's Army buddy/escort. Another outstanding part of this film was the soundtrack, full of great 1960's tunes. There is also a moving sequence set to Louis Armstong's "What a Wonderful World." On historical accuracy, apparently not all of the events in the film happened as described and some were surely invented for dramatic purposes. However, that doesn't really hurt the film too much. Is this Robin Williams' absolute best film? No, but considering what came immediately before, this collaboration with Barry Levinson (who he would team up with a couple more times in his career) was a step in the right direction. Just kick back, relax and take in the comic genius that was Robin Williams.