Review of Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) by Matt F — 12 Sep 2012

In terms of a showcase for its centerpiece actor, films of that ilk don't get much better, or funnier, than "Good Morning Vietnam". Despite the middling grade of stars I doled out, make no mistake about it: for fans of his, this is Robin Williams unplugged.

The one-man comedic wrecking crew stars as Adrian Cronauer, an explosive disc jockey who is re-assigned to Saigon to take over army radio broadcasts. His improvisational style and off-the-wall antics clashes with superiors (most notably his meek radio boss, played by Bruno Kirby) and wins him a throng of avid fans.

The movie gets bogged down in the second half, with a romance-undone-by-war plot that doesn't really work and an even more hackneyed version of Hollywood's traditional anti-war message, both of which almost make you forget what was so good about the first half of the film.

Truthfully, Cronauer is a real person and sadly, by his own admission, Williams' portrayal of him in the film is far more outlandish than what actually happened back in '65. That being said, this might also be the most modulated of Williams' performances, who proved for the first time that he could also be a straight actor and not just deploy comedic anarchy (but there's plenty of that too).

He also has good chemistry with a young Forest Whitaker, who plays his new-found sidekick and friend at the station. Definitely worth a viewing.