The other side of the Vietnam War – decent but overrated

Rating: 6/10 (12 May 2015)

Released in late 1987 when Vietnam films were popular, "Good Morning, Vietnam" chronicles the real-life story of Airman Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams) as a DJ in Saigon, 1965. While Cronauer is a hit with the troops he incurs the wrath of his superiors for what they consider irreverent and subversive tendencies. When he's off the air Cronauer pursues a cute Vietnamese woman (Chintara Sukapatana) while befriending her brother (Tung Thanh Tran). Forest Whitaker plays Cronauer's friend at the station while J.T. Walsh and Bruno Kirby play his nemeses.
While categorized as a war comedy, "Good Morning, Vietnam" is more of a war drama with amusing touches, simply due to Williams' antics. The film was a box office hit when it was released and hailed by critics. Roger Ebert, for instance, gave it a perfect rating. I didn't see it until a couple of nights ago – 27 years after its release – far removed from the hoopla of the period, and found it decent at best, although somewhat amusing. An example of the film's limitations can be seen when Cronauer performs in the presence of the troops in the second half; the sequence is somehow unconvincing. Nevertheless, there's an unexpected twist in the third act that piqued my interest and the movie is a necessary companion-piece to films like 1986's "Platoon" in that it provides the non-grunt, political side of the infamous conflict.
The film runs 121 minutes and was shot in Thailand.
GRADE: B-