Good Morning Vietnam
Director: Barry Levinson
Cast: Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, J.T. Walsh, Bruno Kirby, Adrian Cronauer, Tung Thanh Tran
In a world torn apart by the darkness of war, a single ember of hope is ignited when one man, Adrian Cronauer, shatters the walls of discipline and expectation and uses humor to restore life to war-torn Vietnam.
In the beginning, it is established that there is a very strict code that must be adhered to in Vietnam both in the military and in regards to interacting with the people of Vietnam. In a sense, this code is a wall that separates the two factions and only one man is brave enough to break down the walls of discipline and tradition and connect the two worlds. This man is Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams).
Adrian uses humor as a way of connecting with people. He connects with the Vietnamese students at school who are learning English and the soldiers who are trapped in a war that none of them can escape, but more importantly, Adrian uses radio humor to express the truth of the war in Vietnam. He finally wins a date with Trinh, one of the students in the English class, but the wall between them remains in the form of the women chaperones who accompany the couple to the theater and sit between them. While the walls come down a little bit between Adrian and Trinh, her inability to trust him soon extinguishes their relationship and the wall remains intact.
While his superiors are dead set against Adrian’s particular brand of humor, the soldiers - particularly Edward Garlick (Forest Whitaker) and the rest of Vietnam are drawn to him like a moth to a flame. The military tries to keep their walls up by replacing Adrian and forcing his life-giving comedy off the airways, but the hilarious irony is that even when the humor is finally gone, the voices of the soldiers and the Vietnamese citizens will not be silenced. They demand that Adrian’s humor be restored and soon the walls come crashing down.
“Good Morning Vietnam” is a film steeped as much in humor as it is in the horror of war. The casting for this film is excellent, but Robin Williams shines as Adrian Cronauer and his perfect comedic essence gives the film a sincerely humorous charm to counterbalance the darkness and devastation of war. If you enjoy a good comedy, then “Good Morning Vietnam” is a film that I highly recommend.
© 2013 – 2015 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Barry Levinson
Cast: Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, J.T. Walsh, Bruno Kirby, Adrian Cronauer, Tung Thanh Tran
In a world torn apart by the darkness of war, a single ember of hope is ignited when one man, Adrian Cronauer, shatters the walls of discipline and expectation and uses humor to restore life to war-torn Vietnam.
In the beginning, it is established that there is a very strict code that must be adhered to in Vietnam both in the military and in regards to interacting with the people of Vietnam. In a sense, this code is a wall that separates the two factions and only one man is brave enough to break down the walls of discipline and tradition and connect the two worlds. This man is Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams).
Adrian uses humor as a way of connecting with people. He connects with the Vietnamese students at school who are learning English and the soldiers who are trapped in a war that none of them can escape, but more importantly, Adrian uses radio humor to express the truth of the war in Vietnam. He finally wins a date with Trinh, one of the students in the English class, but the wall between them remains in the form of the women chaperones who accompany the couple to the theater and sit between them. While the walls come down a little bit between Adrian and Trinh, her inability to trust him soon extinguishes their relationship and the wall remains intact.
While his superiors are dead set against Adrian’s particular brand of humor, the soldiers - particularly Edward Garlick (Forest Whitaker) and the rest of Vietnam are drawn to him like a moth to a flame. The military tries to keep their walls up by replacing Adrian and forcing his life-giving comedy off the airways, but the hilarious irony is that even when the humor is finally gone, the voices of the soldiers and the Vietnamese citizens will not be silenced. They demand that Adrian’s humor be restored and soon the walls come crashing down.
“Good Morning Vietnam” is a film steeped as much in humor as it is in the horror of war. The casting for this film is excellent, but Robin Williams shines as Adrian Cronauer and his perfect comedic essence gives the film a sincerely humorous charm to counterbalance the darkness and devastation of war. If you enjoy a good comedy, then “Good Morning Vietnam” is a film that I highly recommend.
© 2013 – 2015 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.