It's pretty good

Rating: 7/10 (13 February 2007)

Based (very loosely) on a true story. Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams) is sent to Saigon in 1965. He's a radio DJ and is sent there to boost the morale of the troops. His off the wall manner on the radio and jokes make him very popular--but he meets opposition from obnoxious Sgt. Dickerson (J.T. Walsh) and stupid Lt. Hauk (Bruno Kirby). Then he falls in love with a Vietnamese woman and realizes he can't just ignore the violence all around him.
This was a huge hit in 1987. This is the movie that made Williams a star. I loved it back then but not so much now. Williams' rantings on the radio really aren't that funny--the sequence where he entertains servicemen outside on trucks going off to combat has more laughs than anything else. Also this move shoves its sentimentality down your throat (it's no surprise this is a Disney picture). We hear these beautiful songs of the period over scenes of revolution and violence. Everything is painted in black and white. Walsh and Kirby are one-dimensional villains and Williams comes across as almost perfect.
The acting is all good and Williams non-stop comedy bits are occasionally funny. But this movie just about grabs you by the throat and forces you to cry and just pours on the syrup. Worth seeing but no great shakes.