Review of Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) by Liam C — 30 Jun 2014

This really is the Robin WIlliams show, I can't see anyone else doing this. He makes the film what it is; a funny, heartfelt comedy that has some real drama in it but one that actually means something because of all the life he injects into it and earning his first Oscar nomination because of it.

Seriously though, wow, he is INSANE! I have heard people say he was on drugs at the time and as a friend of mine said, it adds to the craziness and its why its awesome in the first place! He does standup and most of the broadcasts he does are ad libbed so I'm sure most of the laughter on set was real and it must have been hard to keep a straight face during all of this, so I'm sure there must be loads of unused funny scenes. Forest Whitaker is notable too in an early breakout role for him and yeah there are others, like the boss that nobody likes who provides an awkward radio broadcast and J.T. Walsh is interesting like he usually is but Williams and Whitaker really are the main two here.

The story here is good too, going between comedy and drama aptly and it all works well. The comedy is funny, the drama is real and never forgets that it is a war film, so it never becomes disrespectful or anything and gets in to some dark areas near the end and it makes you think. Even if I wasn't expecting that scene but thats why it works. Sad but true.

By the end of it all I felt sad, in a mere two hours I connected to Williams' character so well and it was sad to see him go. He's funny, smart and immensely likable, he's such a joy to watch. He makes this film what it is and it is a classic because of it.