Hello, all! John Adams once said [in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, in case you’re interested] that, “I cannot contemplate human affairs, without laughing or crying. I choose to laugh.” I suspect that the first two film choices would incline the viewer to cry over laughing [no matter what the scene in THE NAKED GUN might suggest], so we’re going to switch gears and examine a film that makes the same choice that John Adams did. The comedic focus works so well in the film because of the star, without whom I can’t imagine this film ever being made, and it actually manages to find something to laugh about despite the inherently depressing setting of war. The film is GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM, and the trailer for it is embedded below.
Whereas MASH functioned largely because of the ensemble cast that was assembled, GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM works through Robin Williams’ sheer force of will… and his trademark manic energy and improvisational style, too, of course. Portraying Airman Adrian Cronauer [the name of the actual AFRS DJ upon whom the film is loosely based, incidentally], Williams’ performance is simply a tour de force, earning him a nomination for Best Actor [that he should have won rather than Michael Douglas in WALL STREET, in my mostly humble opinion]. Though the film doesn’t rely on an ensemble cast to succeed, it would be unfair not to address the roles Cronauer’s potential foils play in the film, particularly his two immediate superiors: 2LT Steven Hauk [played by Bruno Kirby with gleeful “straight man” panache] and SGM Phillip Dickerson [played by veteran (no pun intended) character actor J.T. Walsh]. Without these two, Williams’ portrayal would perhaps have seemed less delightfully insubordinate; but, that’s a big “perhaps.”
The film plays on, and succeeds primarily because of, Cronauer’s antics being so diametrically opposed to the way his superiors want him to do things. In a way, it’s the classic “fish out of water” scenario… it isn’t just the military culture that Cronauer has trouble fitting into, but also the Vietnamese culture that he tries to understand, largely so he can swoon a local girl. It’s this subplot that serves as a pretty clever device for the film’s break into the third act, but especially so that Williams can chew more screen time as the teacher of the English class he follows the local girl to in the first place. Consistently rebuffed by the girl, Cronauer instead ends up befriending her brother, and it’s that relationship that ends up driving the film into some of its more serious places. While the film’s comedic scene are its heart, its soul is better found in precisely those more serious scenes, particularly the bombing of a restaurant that is frequented by US troops and the aftermath of that event. Despite being told that the bombing is censored, Cronauer decides to report it anyway and is quickly cut off the air and suspended. While on suspension, Cronauer has an impromptu meeting with soldiers on their way to the front, giving them a brief “radio” performance… and realizing what his role in the war really is. It may sound saccharine and forced, but it really is one of the better moments in a film that relies so heavily on humor that the scenes with any pathos are that much more effective.
As one might expect, any film set during the Vietnam War doesn’t have a “happy” ending, per se, but that doesn’t mean the film doesn’t have a good one; it does. Despite the largely comic material in the film, nothing feels cheap or manufactured. That applies to the few scenes in which the film decides to crank the serious up to eleven, as well. If, like John Adams [not the yutz cranking out hit pieces on the UT Football program, mind], you want to choose to laugh, this film is for you. Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (Director's Cut); Day 2 - GLADIATOR; Day 3 - TROY; Day 4 - SPARTACUS; Day 5 - BRAVEHEART; Day 6 - MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD; Day 7 - GLORY; Day 8 - GODS AND GENERALS; Day 9 - GONE WITH THE WIND; Day 10 - CAPITAINE CONAN; Day 11 - ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT; Day 12 - GALLIPOLI; Day 13 - PATHS OF GLORY; Day 14 - SERGEANT YORK; Day 15 - DAS BOOT; Day 16 - SAVING PRIVATE RYAN; Day 17 - PATTON; Day 18 - CROSS OF IRON; Day 19 - SCHINDLER'S LIST; Day 20 - FURY; Day 21 - MASH; Day 22 - TAE GUK GI: THE BROTHERHOOD OF WAR; Day 23 - PLATOON; Day 24 - FULL METAL JACKET]
Whereas MASH functioned largely because of the ensemble cast that was assembled, GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM works through Robin Williams’ sheer force of will… and his trademark manic energy and improvisational style, too, of course. Portraying Airman Adrian Cronauer [the name of the actual AFRS DJ upon whom the film is loosely based, incidentally], Williams’ performance is simply a tour de force, earning him a nomination for Best Actor [that he should have won rather than Michael Douglas in WALL STREET, in my mostly humble opinion]. Though the film doesn’t rely on an ensemble cast to succeed, it would be unfair not to address the roles Cronauer’s potential foils play in the film, particularly his two immediate superiors: 2LT Steven Hauk [played by Bruno Kirby with gleeful “straight man” panache] and SGM Phillip Dickerson [played by veteran (no pun intended) character actor J.T. Walsh]. Without these two, Williams’ portrayal would perhaps have seemed less delightfully insubordinate; but, that’s a big “perhaps.”
The film plays on, and succeeds primarily because of, Cronauer’s antics being so diametrically opposed to the way his superiors want him to do things. In a way, it’s the classic “fish out of water” scenario… it isn’t just the military culture that Cronauer has trouble fitting into, but also the Vietnamese culture that he tries to understand, largely so he can swoon a local girl. It’s this subplot that serves as a pretty clever device for the film’s break into the third act, but especially so that Williams can chew more screen time as the teacher of the English class he follows the local girl to in the first place. Consistently rebuffed by the girl, Cronauer instead ends up befriending her brother, and it’s that relationship that ends up driving the film into some of its more serious places. While the film’s comedic scene are its heart, its soul is better found in precisely those more serious scenes, particularly the bombing of a restaurant that is frequented by US troops and the aftermath of that event. Despite being told that the bombing is censored, Cronauer decides to report it anyway and is quickly cut off the air and suspended. While on suspension, Cronauer has an impromptu meeting with soldiers on their way to the front, giving them a brief “radio” performance… and realizing what his role in the war really is. It may sound saccharine and forced, but it really is one of the better moments in a film that relies so heavily on humor that the scenes with any pathos are that much more effective.
As one might expect, any film set during the Vietnam War doesn’t have a “happy” ending, per se, but that doesn’t mean the film doesn’t have a good one; it does. Despite the largely comic material in the film, nothing feels cheap or manufactured. That applies to the few scenes in which the film decides to crank the serious up to eleven, as well. If, like John Adams [not the yutz cranking out hit pieces on the UT Football program, mind], you want to choose to laugh, this film is for you. Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (Director's Cut); Day 2 - GLADIATOR; Day 3 - TROY; Day 4 - SPARTACUS; Day 5 - BRAVEHEART; Day 6 - MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD; Day 7 - GLORY; Day 8 - GODS AND GENERALS; Day 9 - GONE WITH THE WIND; Day 10 - CAPITAINE CONAN; Day 11 - ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT; Day 12 - GALLIPOLI; Day 13 - PATHS OF GLORY; Day 14 - SERGEANT YORK; Day 15 - DAS BOOT; Day 16 - SAVING PRIVATE RYAN; Day 17 - PATTON; Day 18 - CROSS OF IRON; Day 19 - SCHINDLER'S LIST; Day 20 - FURY; Day 21 - MASH; Day 22 - TAE GUK GI: THE BROTHERHOOD OF WAR; Day 23 - PLATOON; Day 24 - FULL METAL JACKET]
