Dual Morals

Rating: Null/10 (2 January 2004)

This movie is silly and childish, but there is so much good thanks to Williams and a bit of cleverness by Levinson to keep things more than interesting. Why couldn't Weir have been as inventive with 'Dead Poets Society'?
This is your only spoiler warning...
In comedies, characters learn nothing because often they are stereotypes with nothing to offer.
In war movies, the characters learn one lesson: war is hell. This follows two hours of fireballs, bullets, blood, and noise.
Here we have a twofold take on war. There is the blunt and obvious as depicted in the Armstrong montage (copied by Peter Jackson in 'Return of the King') where the hard lessons are taught through suffering. This is the weaker message of the two.
Then there is the message of what wartime and big, bad evil censorship does to creativity. Williams is once again a rebel and better than his all-too-predictable role in 'Society'. See this and you'll never need to see another Weir or Levinson again.
Overall, not only is 'Good Morning, Vietnam' funny, but it is worth your time as an alternative take on a subject nearly beaten to death. Perhaps the best war movie of the 80s.
Final Analysis = = Learn from this...