by Vanessa Hague
GOOOOOOOD MOOOORRRNNNNING, VIETNAM!
The immortal words, the infamous quote; if you haven't seen it and have some interest in film, you've still probably heard that line in some form.
Good Morning, Vietnam which was first released way back in 1987, is probably the role that catapulted Robin Williams into Hollywood superstardom. It is quintessential Williams viewing, his trademark wit, humour and bouncing-off-the-walls energy is present here in buckets.
GOOOOOOOD MOOOORRRNNNNING, VIETNAM!
The immortal words, the infamous quote; if you haven't seen it and have some interest in film, you've still probably heard that line in some form.
Good Morning, Vietnam which was first released way back in 1987, is probably the role that catapulted Robin Williams into Hollywood superstardom. It is quintessential Williams viewing, his trademark wit, humour and bouncing-off-the-walls energy is present here in buckets.
The film revolves around Adrian Cronauer (Williams) as he is transferred to Vietnam in order to play host on a U.S. radio show ran by the Army. There is a nice build up to his first show and in true Robin Williams style, he completely lets loose which causes him to get in trouble with his superiors. Adrian gets taken under his wing by Eddie Garlick (Forest Whitaker), shows him the local haunts and quickly fits in the rest of the radio crew.
As his stay progresses, Adrian quickly becomes enamored with a local Vietnamese girl and his efforts having him posing as an English teacher to a class of which is girl is a part of. Adrian manages to bluff his way through and soon befriends a young Vietnamese boy who he learns is the girl's brother. This is where Good Morning, Vietnam really starts to connect to the historical event within which the movie is grounded, as the brother acts as sort of a focus point and allows the Vietnam War to take a more centre stage. Good Morning, Vietnam may be a comedy but it is set during a war.
That meeting almost acts as a turning point, both the movie and Robin's performance take a more serious turn as Adrian soon gets caught in a bomb explosion. This seems to serve as a bleak reminder to both Adrian and the audience as to the grim realities of war. Williams' becomes more somber in his performance - Adrian goes on air after the attack and tells the troops about it, which isn't something he is supposed to do and he gets suspended.
As his stay progresses, Adrian quickly becomes enamored with a local Vietnamese girl and his efforts having him posing as an English teacher to a class of which is girl is a part of. Adrian manages to bluff his way through and soon befriends a young Vietnamese boy who he learns is the girl's brother. This is where Good Morning, Vietnam really starts to connect to the historical event within which the movie is grounded, as the brother acts as sort of a focus point and allows the Vietnam War to take a more centre stage. Good Morning, Vietnam may be a comedy but it is set during a war.
That meeting almost acts as a turning point, both the movie and Robin's performance take a more serious turn as Adrian soon gets caught in a bomb explosion. This seems to serve as a bleak reminder to both Adrian and the audience as to the grim realities of war. Williams' becomes more somber in his performance - Adrian goes on air after the attack and tells the troops about it, which isn't something he is supposed to do and he gets suspended.
He becomes more interested in the people and not just the larger picture - he entertains some troops waiting to be transported and he takes the time to explore more of rural Vietnam outside of Saigon. This allows the film to take some respite from Robin's form of intense comedic performance and grounds it somewhat and it is needed in order to allow the film to slightly explore more serious themes with regards to the Vietnam War.
As the film draws to a close, it turns out the brother that he befriended was part of a terrorist gang and as a result, Adrian is dismissed permanently via honourable discharge. Whilst it never strays too far or deep into "political message" territory being primarily a comedy, it still does raise some interesting points with regards to U.S. inolvement.
Overall, Good Morning, Vietnam is classic Robin Williams, his performance contains such energy and zany humour that it could be considered an essential viewing for any Robin Williams fan. Plus his humour is used as an outlet to carry some important social commentary - to be both funny and socially relevant whilst not being blatantly obvious isn't something a lot of comedians or comedic actors can pull of well, but Robin Williams managed this time and again and that is just one of the many things that made him such a stellar performer.
As the film draws to a close, it turns out the brother that he befriended was part of a terrorist gang and as a result, Adrian is dismissed permanently via honourable discharge. Whilst it never strays too far or deep into "political message" territory being primarily a comedy, it still does raise some interesting points with regards to U.S. inolvement.
Overall, Good Morning, Vietnam is classic Robin Williams, his performance contains such energy and zany humour that it could be considered an essential viewing for any Robin Williams fan. Plus his humour is used as an outlet to carry some important social commentary - to be both funny and socially relevant whilst not being blatantly obvious isn't something a lot of comedians or comedic actors can pull of well, but Robin Williams managed this time and again and that is just one of the many things that made him such a stellar performer.
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