lots of good

Rating: Null/10 (27 August 2003)

There were a lot of things I liked in this movie, all centered around Robin Williams' performance as Adrian Cronauer, an army DJ during the early Vietnam War. This was really a perfect role for him, combining the radio improv hilarity (similar to his other earlier work) with the touchy feely aspect of his relationships with the locals (characteristic of his newer roles). The supporting cast was solid, but Williams really carries the movie.
The main problem I had with this movie was that it didn't know whether it wanted just to tell a good story or really drive home a message. There are a lot of moralizing elements, but in the end it seems that Cronauer is more concerned about his own skin than any greater good; for me the ending didn't quite jive with what led up to it. To be fair, it was a well-done characterization of a basically good man who is not perfect; it's nice to see a movie where the protagonist has limits, where the "hero" is not a superman.
The baseball game is a classic scene; the movie as a whole is a bit slow but this scene is worth waiting for.