Good Morning, Vietnam

Plot synopsis:
With the war in Vietnam escalating in 1965, Airman Adrian Cronauer arrives in Saigon to work as a radio host for the US Army. He's met at the airbase by Sgt Edward Garlick. Garlick takes him to the radio station where Cronauer is introduced to Lt Stephen Hauk and Sgt Major Dickerson. Cronauer has been brought in as a comic host for the morning show, having worked on the island of Crete and gaining popularity with American servicemen there.Dickerson and Hauk both lay out their agenda for Cronauer: the boisterous and wisecracking Cronauer will follow their programming to the letter. Cronauer immediately finds himself at odds with both officers who will not let him play rock n' roll music (it's considered too subversive in the war environment) and will read only censured news from the teletypes -- news items first have to be examined by twin servicemen who use red pens to block out any news that may be considered upsetting to US servicemen. Cronauer launches into his 1st broadcast with his catchphrase "GOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNG VIETNAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!" and the show is an instant hit with the young soldiers with the host spouting scatological humor, odd characters of his own creation, criticism of the war effort and American elected officials (including Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson) and celebrity impressions and blasting rock n' roll music in defiance of station rules. After his 1st broadcast, Cronauer receives accolades from all of his colleagues but derision from Hauk, who thinks the new upstart is too intense.Garlick takes Cronauer to Jimmy Wah's, a local bar popular with US soldiers. After meeting the gay Wah himself, Cronauer catches sight of a young local woman dressed in white. Garlick tries to tell Cronauer that fraternization with locals is forbidden but Cronauer buys a couple of bicycles & sets off after her. She goes to a local school where another US soldier is teaching a group of Vietnamese citizens how to speak English. Cronauer, hoping to get a date with the young lady, bribes the teacher to let him teach the class. Cronauer breaks from the lesson plan and teaches the class American rock songs, American slang & how to curse in English as well. After the class ends, he tries to talk to the young lady, who is of a traditional Vietnamese family. Her brother, Tuan, tries to explain things to Adrian but Adrian is persistent and tells him that he appreciates his honesty & respects him. Tuan decides he'll help Cronauer meet his sister. Cronauer later meets her for a date but, in accordance with her traditions, her whole family shows up as chaperones.Cronauer's on-air antics continue to annoy Hauk and Dickerson but the host's popularity with the soldiers continues to grow. Cronauer joins his colleagues at Jimmy Wah's after work and is able to finagle the attention of a few local prostitutes away from a few soldiers at the bar. When Tuan shows up and is invited to sit with Cronauer's group, the soldiers harass Tuan. Cronauer tries to talk the men down and a fight breaks out which causes injuries and damage. Dickerson chews Cronauer out for the incident, saying he has one strike.One day, as Cronauer tries to leave for the day, he's stopped by Hauk who orders him into a long editing session for the interview conducted with Richard Nixon. Cronauer, aggravated that Hauk wouldn't let him leave to get lunch, edits the footage with himself as the interviewer asking Nixon very offensive personal questions. Hauk and Dickerson are not amused and cut off the recording.While Cronauer enjoys some time off at Jimmy Wah's, Tuan suddenly appears & tells him to come with him to meet his sister. As they walk away from the bar, it explodes, killing three US servicemen and injuring many on the street. Cronauer helps carry the injured out of the place. He marches straight back to the station and the teletype room, grabbing the printed report of the bombing to the broadcast booth. He's stopped by Dickerson who harshly orders him to give up the report. Cronauer appears to comply until he gets on the air. Unable to do his usual comedy routine, he suddenly launches into an "unofficial" announcement of the bombing. Dickerson orders the broadcast to be cut off.Cronauer is placed on temporary suspension. Hauk takes over the broadcast, promising to be funnier than Cronauer but fails miserably. Hate mail arrives at the station condemning Hauk and Taylor orders the lieutenant to reinstate Cronauer. Cronauer returns from Tuan's village where he'd been invited for a few days of convalescence. While there, Tuan's sister tells Cronauer that they can't have a relationship because of her family's tradition.Dickerson places a phone call to the Army intelligence office about a road leading to a small village called An Loc. He's informed that the road is held by the Viet Cong and is an unsafe. Dickerson orders Cronauer and Garlick to drive to An Loc to interview locals. En route, their Jeep hits a mine and they're forced off the road. Both of them emerge from the wreck uninjured but they become lost in the jungle. A small detachment of Viet Cong find their jeep and begin to track them. In Saigon, Dreiwitz sees the report about the road to An Loc and later meets Tuan at the entrance to the base. Tuan tells him that Cronauer has been gone for hours. When one of the guards at the base tells him that Cronauer and Garlick went to An Loc, Tuan sets off looking for them. He steals a small delivery wagon and drives out to An Loc. He finds Cronauer and Garlick hiding out. Unable to start the truck that Tuan stole, they set off in the jungle and walk until a small unit of Huey choppers finds them.Cronauer becomes further despondent with his superiors and tells Garlick that he's sick of being told what he can & can't say on the air and that he's thinking of quitting. Garlick is able to convince Cronauer to stay when they're stuck in a Saigon traffic jam and are surrounded by US soldiers in trucks, headed for a battle zone. Garlick identifies Cronauer to the men and an initially reluctant Adrian entertains them for several minutes until the traffic clears. He later dedicates the Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" to them.In another meeting with Dickerson, Cronauer is informed that Tuan is actually a Viet Cong operative named Phan Duc To. When Cronauer scoffs at the notion of his friend being a spy and terrorist, Dickerson reminds him that Tuan rescued him from almost certain death twice -- at Jimmy Wah's, Tuan got Cronauer out moments before the bomb went off and disappeared almost immediately. On the An Loc road, Tuan was able to travel it without calling attention to himself or coming to harm from the Viet Cong. Dickerson further emphasizes the accusation by showing Cronauer pictures of Tuan's friends who were executed as terrorists. Dickerson tells Cronauer that he's forcing him out of his unit & that he'll have to leave the country. When Cronauer asks Dickerson why he's making an issue of his friendship with Tuan, Dickerson tells him straight that he doesn't like him, his on-air personality & antics & his attitude. As he leaves, Adrian openly insults Dickerson, who angrily follows him. He's stopped by Taylor who tells him he's transferring Dickerson to Guam. When Dickerson protests, Taylor tells him he's "just mean & this is only radio."Cronauer finds Tuan's sister and demands to know where he is, telling her that Tuan is being hunted by Army intelligence and will be summarily executed. She takes him to her brother, who immediately runs. After a short chase, Cronauer finds him in a shady section of the city. Tuan angrily and sadly tells his friend that his country has been torn apart by war and that many of his family have been killed by American forces. Tuan disappears.As he's being taken to the airport to leave, Cronauer gathers his English-language class for a game of baseball. He humorously teaches them all to play. Cronauer also gets the soldiers escorting him to join in as well. After the game is over and Cronauer is flying out of the country, Garlick plays a pre-recorded broadcast from Cronauer bidding farewell to his audience.

Tags: anti war, violence, comedy

Review:
Vietnam without a doubt was a dark period in our history.Any comedy film surrounding Vietnam would indeed have to be done delicately.This movie pulls it off.What amazes me most about the film is the flawless, improvisational radio dialog from Robin Williams.This,as most of you may know,was completely unscripted to allow Williams an opportunity to work his magic.Also,it had to be timely,for the movie is,of course,set in 1965.The fact that he was able to do this is nothing short of amazing.The supporting cast was also incredible,with great performances by Forrest Whitaker,Bruno Kirby,and the late J.T.Walsh as "Sergeant Major Dickerson",the man you love to hate.Although some of the horror that was Vietnam is here,it's only giving you a taste of it,as it concentrates more on the Williams character's quest to make our beloved soldiers forget their horror,at least for a while.Highly recommended..
I'm glad I got refreshed.In 1965,Airman Adrian Cronauer(Robin Williams,in the first of his four Academy Award nominations)is brought on to do an Armed Forces Radio stint in Vietnam.
His combination of off-the-wall humor,impressions,sound gags and quick wit,mixed with his love of free-wheeling Rock music of the era,is pretty much welcomed in the area,save for a few angry sorts: a Napoleon-complexed intermediate CO named Hauk(Bruno Kirby,unrecognizable but for the voice) and a stiff-lipped,quietly vindictive middle commander named Dickerson(J.T.Walsh,so good here it would seem like this typecast him).
As this is going on,Cronauer becomes smitten with a local girl(Chinatra Sukapatra,spelling?)and befriends her brother(Tung Thanh Tran),which leads the popular DJ down a road of self-discovery.With excellent support from Forrest Whitaker(one of my favorites!he ends up sort of counter-balancing Williams' manic frenzy with nerdish normalcy as his buddy/assistant/guide),Richard Edson,Noble Winnigham,Robert Wuhl and Cu Ba Nguyen(as the oily GI bar proprietor)among others,this film,directed by Barry Levinson(whose work hasn't been this good in what feels like forever,certainly not since Avalon or Rain Man) and written by Mitch Markowitz,it is arguable one of the deftest films to create and maintain a balance between the horrors and inhumanity of war and the humor and pathos that are very much present in it.
They look at the conflict, without getting in too deep.A superb cast as well including Bruno Kirby and the late great J.T. Walsh gives a solid backdrop, and are beautiful foils to Williams.Overall, a wonderful movie, add it to your collection..
A few laughs from a comic genius was necessary to get them through the day in their very cockeyed world.Adrian Cronauer was a real life person, but if he didn't bear a resemblance to Robin Williams, he should have.
He's a tough, but compassionate military man, the exact opposite of J.T. Walsh whom he has to reign in.Good Morning Vietnam is a frank portrayal of a war experience told with humor and irony through the eyes of Robin Williams.Preston Sturges would have absolutely adored this film..
And I think that's what it intended.For those who don't know, it's worth adding that the main character, Adrian Cronauer, was a real person, and still is—he's a staunch Republican (Williams was not, to be sure) and an innovator in radio in Vietnam.
Good Morning, Vietnam does not ignore its comedy roots either and gives us genuinely entertaining disc jockey rants from Williams who shines with his animation and ad-libbing, further reminding us of a later film of his, Aladdin, and how he really was the star of that piece.The best parts of Good Morning, Vietnam actually raise issues to do with oppositional reading.
It is a battle that the oppositional readers loose since morale falls drastically after Adrian is taken off and he is forced to be reinstated because of this.Good Morning, Vietnam carries a pumping soundtrack which is what you'd expect for a film about a DJ and an emphasis on radio and its constant referencing to popular culture, gliding from The Wizard of Oz to Eleanor Roosevelt makes Williams' scenes consistently fun to watch.
GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM / (1987) ***1/2 (out of four)By Blake French:	Robin Williams is about as good as they come at doing stand up comedy, and in "Good Morning, Vietnam" director Berry Levinson gives him everything he needs to make the film go above and beyond the average satire.
Who can resist the awakening voice of Williams on the radio yelling "Good Morning Vietnam." This is a film that conquers the test of time.
"Good Morning, Vietnam" tells the story of a lively disc jockey who gets a job on Armed Forced Radio during the Vietnam War. Robin Williams is the fast-talking Adrian Cronauer, and who better to play the part than he.
"Good Morning, Vietnam" is merely a portrait of Robin Williams releasing his perennial comedy, and unfortunately that does happen to get old quite quickly; the majority of an audience can only watch the humor for so long until it becomes old and somewhat stale.
"Good Morning, Vietnam" is definitely not a flawless film, but we do empathize for the main character, the scenes effectively capture the attitude and mood during the war, and the dialogue and writing feel accurate and involving.
Entertaining and fascinating movie about a frenetic Disc Jockey during Vietnam War. An unorthodox DJ begins to shake up things when he is assigned to the US Armed Services Radio station in Vietnam ; it is based on real life Adrian Cronauer .
An impulsive new Disc Jockey named Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams), on whom story was based , is shipped from Crete to Vietnam to bring humor to Armed Forces Radio.
Robin Williams stars as Adrian Cronauer, an Air Force Dee-jay who has been brought to Vietnam to be on the airwaves there, ostensibly because he was funny when he was a Dee-jay in Crete.
Once Cronauer gets settled, the story centers around two themes: 1\ his battle against the uptight stations owners, played beautifully by J.T. Walsh (See Breakdown - great bad guy) as the Sgt Major and Bruno Kirby as Lt. Haulk who desperately wants to be funny, and believes he is, but no, he's just not.
They also throw in a love interest for good measure in the form of Trinh (Chintara Sukapatana), a wholly lifeless woman whom Williams refuses to stop pestering.Williams is never funny during his radio broadcasts, however the film repeatedly tells us otherwise, showing us scores of characters struggling to hold back their tears of laughter.
Both characters aggressively impose their superior ranks on Williams and the other men, reminding me of the great Machiavelli quote – 'It is not titles that make men illustrious, but men who make titles illustrious.' Quite frankly, the quote is wasted on a trivial little film like this.It sometimes attempts to be a drama or 'dramedy' with moments of perfunctory war moralising, but ultimately Good Morning, Vietnam is preoccupied with indulging Williams's penchant for shouting incessantly rather than achieving anything approaching credible commentary or pathos.
GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM (1987) *** Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Tung Thanh Tran, Bruno Kirby, Richard Edson, Robert Wuhl, Floyd Vivino, JT Walsh, Noble Willingham.
Loose biopic about Vietnam seen through the eyes of Armed Forces Radio d.j. Adrian Cronauer (loose cannon Williams, nominated for an Oscar) who entertains the American troops with his on-air anti-authoritarian antics and learning about the people of Saigon.
It's funny, but at the same time shows the war from the eyes of our protagonist Airman First Class Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams).
At the time this movie was released, most viewers went to it expecting a straight comedy film because Robin Williams was a star on the hit sit-com Mork & Minday.
The film is called " Good Morning Viet-Nam " and is purported to be the story of Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams) the Disc-jockey who was transferred from the isle of Create to serve in Viet-Nam. Once there, the exuberant and happy-go-lucky DJ, becomes the troops' favorite, boosting moral and actively seeking feminine company.
His career up to this point paralleled Steve Martin's in many ways, because his past career as a stand-up comic - and let's face it Mork and Mindy just had him basically doing stand-up on the four year run of that TV show - had pigeon-holed him into doing films like "The Survivors" and "The Best of Times" where he was doing straight comedy with mediocre scripts.This role was tailor made for Williams, because when he does his thing as the morning DJ, it is his own impromptu brash brand of fast talking comedy that made him famous.
For evil you have to go to J.T. Walsh as Sgt. Major Dickinson, who threatens and actually seems like he would enjoy sending Cronauer to his death in the jungles of Nam.Robin Williams gets to do some serious acting when he runs into the extreme censorship of the news that is done by the army - he doesn't get to report anything that isn't completely positive.
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.
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.
"Good Morning, Vietnam" is one of Robin Williams' best movies and was one of the first to really showcase his improvisational abilities.
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.
I can't praise the cast highly enough here, Forest Witaker, Bruno Kirby, JT Walsh, Robert Wuhl, Noble Willingham are all superb, as is Tung Thanh Tran and Chintara Sukapatana as some local people Williams befriends.The soundtrack is a great asset to the movie, featuring The Beach Boys and James Brown to name a few and Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World" is an absolute show stopper!
It revolved around a Vietnamese woman who became Cronauer's love interest and her brother, who became Cronauer's best friend until he was discovered to have been a Viet Cong member.This is, perhaps surprisingly, a reflective movie at times, giving the opportunity for the viewer to think about the Vietnam War through a number of scenes.
The story is loosely based on the experiences of Armed Forces Radio DJ Adrian Cronauer.By playing the DJ, Williams could free-wheel it on the mic, provide laughs and annoy the authorities in this case Bruno Kirby who certainly does not get his humour.
These two certainly did not want soldiers to be happy.As the story progresses you get some drama, but it's not quite the horrors of the Vietnam war in the way films such as Platoon would show it.After all this is still a comedy and the drama is secondary.This was Williams movie where he could be anarchic.
Good Morning, Vietnam is one of the best movie that Robin Williams has made.
Delivering both laughs and emotion, I would recommend Good Morning Vietnam to anyone looking for a good comedy, drama or war film.
"Good Morning Vietnam" is the story of Adrian Cronauer - well, that's how it started out - until Robin Williams got his hands on it.
But I'm sure he was very happy to have a star such as Robin Williams interested in his story.In the '60s, Cronauer is assigned to the US Armed Services Radio station in Vietnam and finds it pretty dull with a lot of boring music playing.
Slowly, Cronauer sees more of the war, meets soldiers going into combat, and learns the hard way that he can't trust everyone, and he gets a big-time reality check.Filmed in Thailand, Good Morning, Vietnam is a really excellent film that combines comedy with drama, improvisation with a solid script and manages to show the horror of war and its effect on the citizens and soldiers.Williams, who improvises all of the radio shows, is marvelous as Cronauer, here a man who uses humor in his life until he is faced with some harsh truths -- and even then, in one of his darkest moments, he finds his sense of humor again.
As Lt. Steven Hauk, Bruno Kirby is brilliant as a delusional man who thinks his groan-worthy sense of humor and Mantovani music is just the ticket for a radio show.Well worth seeing by baby boomers for the nostalgia value (though not all good) and by anyone to appreciate the skills of Robin Williams as an actor and comic..
It's amongst the best I've seen from the 80's, a high-class film.'Good Morning, Vietnam' would've been a mark short if Robin Williams didn't appear in it.
and I loved it whenever he starts his show by yelling «Gooooooooooood Morning, Vietnam!», as well as whenever he pretends to be a teacher.Robin also puts nice music in this film, such as Beach Boys, James Brown's "I Feel Good" and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World".
He does, in more ways than one, and as the madness of the war takes hold, Cronauer, his superiors and those closest to him, are all about to get taught some life lessons.Based on the story of real life army disc jockey Adrian Cronauer, Good Morning Vietnam plonks us straight into Saigon in 1965.
It's very effective.Essentially, though, "Good Morning Vietnam" is a hilarious comedy starring the master of improvisation, Robin Williams.
The GIs love him, but the military's top brass (especially Sgt. Major Dickerson, played by J.T. Walsh) is up in arms.Interesting enough, by the end of "Good Morning Vietnam", we learn so much more about the characters— except Adrian Cronauer (Williams).
Memorable performances come from Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, and J.T. Walsh, and Williams even got an Oscar nomination for his performance.To conclude, "Good Morning, Vietnam" is an interesting (to say the least) mix between wartime drama and comedy, aside from being plain old hilarious..
GOOD MORNING, Vietnam!Those are the words that open up DJ Adrian Cronauer's (Robin Williams) broadcast to all soldiers in southern Vietnam during the war, the beginning of a time block filled with hilarity and setting a humorous tone to a very harsh war.
The conflict with Cronauer and those telling him he's wrong is probably the more effective of the drama compared to commentary on the war."Good Morning" is still a film that should be watched.
Good Morning Vietnam is a wonderful film that knows how to balance the comedy of Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams) with one of the most serious and tragic events in American history..
Good Morning Vietnam is an excellent film that is extraordinarily funny thanks to the comedic genius of Robin Williams.
Well, maybe not everyone's has one or two of the top ranks aren't too pleased with such quips as "the Big Dick is here!..." when referring to a visit from Vice-President, Richard Nixon.When you see Williams,as Cronauer, perform the comedy routines on, and off, the Airwaves, all you can do is watch in hilarious wonderment and ask just exactly what kind of brain are we witnessing here.'Good Morning, Vietnam' is billed as a Comedy/Drama, but it was the Drama aspect of it that for me, certainly shone through as much as the hilarity side of the script.
I have watched more than a few movies in my time but this one still stands out as one of the best.Robin Williams stars in one of his best roles as a Radio DJ amidst the horror of Vietnam.
One thing about this movie is that it is probably one of the best movies of the 80-s.Another true fact is that Barry Levinson, Robin Williams and late J.T. Walsh will be remembered in 40 years time primarily because they made GMV!.It IS very funny (do not be tempted to watch in any other language but original!) yet is a very serious film - definitely not Arnold and Dolf type.
That DJ is funny man Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams) and we are talking 1965, Vietnam.
Although I didn't like the character, a man who really was a DJ in the Vietnam war, I admired Robin Williams.
Robin Williams plays Adrian Cronauer, a real-life DJ stationed in Vietnam.
Good Morning, Vietnam was one of Robin Williams' first movie roles and perhaps one of his best.The reason for this really is the fact that the character he plays allows him to channel both his manic stand up comedian side and also allow him to show just how good a dramatic actor he could be given the chance.This film manages to combine that humour without being neglecting the story of the war that was going on at the time.
Good Morning, Vietnam is a spectacular blend of uproarious comedy and emotional drama with an outstanding performance from Robin Williams.
Not all of Williams' films were great, and as was the case with Dead Poets Society, when you break down Good Morning, Vietnam to the basics, it's simply a story about a raunchy radio DJ pissing off his superiors.
Good Morning, Vietnam is often a funny and witty movie thanks to the fast-speaking talent of Robin Williams.
His off-air scenes were good, but they were more considered melodrama than comedy.Overall, Good Morning, Vietnam is a very funny film thanks to the presence of Robin Williams.
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.
Though the movie is set during the Vietnam war, that does not tone down the comedy that Williams brings to it.
For the most part I did enjoy GOOD MORNING VIETNAM but I can`t help feeling that it would have been a great film if there was a more cynical darker edge to the comedy with more lines like " You mean we should escalate the war so we can get bigger names ?