Running Time: 119 minutes
Directed By: Barry Levinson
Written By: Mitch Markowitz
Main Cast: Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Tung Thanh Tran, Chintara Sukapatana, Bruno Kirby
Click here to view the trailer
LEVINSON WEEK: PART THREE
Chugging right along in the "Levinson Week" festivities, we come to Levinson's third feature from THE BOOK, his 1987 offering, "Good Morning, Vietnam".
"Good Morning, Vietnam" tells the story of real life disc jockey Adrian Cronauer (Williams), who is brought into Vietnam (before the crisis escalated) to hopefully boost morale among the troops. Cronauer is known for his comedic talents and plans to bring it all to the radio every morning at six, kicking things off with his signature greeting - "Good Morning, Vietnam!". Of course, this wouldn't be a movie if there wasn't a conflict to be resolved and here we see Cronauer bump heads with the commanding officers and his superiors, who have strict orders for him to watch his language, tone down his brand of comedy and to refrain from playing popular rock songs. To put it into perspective, think Howard Stern - Cronauer is sort of like his generation's Stern, saying what he wants, doing what he wants and having trouble answering to authority. Meanwhile, Cronauer tails a beautiful Vietnamese girl (Sukapatana) around town, hoping to get a date, but instead following her into an English class, where he winds up becoming the new teacher. He also befriends her brother, Tuan (Tran).
Guess what? I didn't laugh once! Is it just me or did anyone else think that Levinson should have pried the cocaine out of Robin Williams' hands before shooting? I mean, I just do not find the guy funny and he was more of an annoyance than a joy. I also didn't care for the unique mix of comedy and drama, as it just didn't work for me. For some reason, when I think Robin Williams, I think pure, strict comedy. I don't know why, because the guy's been in just as many drama's as he has comedies, but I just can't seem to buy him as a serious actor. Therefore, when I see him touring the Vietnamese war sites in "Good Morning, Vietnam", it comes off like a fish out of water. In the radio booth, Williams is himself, but he's far too erratic for my tastes and it was like listening to seventy-five alarm clocks going off right in your ear. If THE BOOK insisted on including a Robin Williams picture, they would've been better off including something like "Insomnia" or "One Hour Photo" if they wanted him serious or "The Birdcage" if they wanted strict comedy.
Also, we all know how I feel about war films, so there's that and even the cast was a bust here, with talented men like Forest Whitaker barely being able to show his talents and serving as a sidekick for Williams' Cronauer. You know, watching all these Levinson films in a row is really putting things into perspective. I've always thought of Levinson as a talented filmmaker, yet he clearly isn't (at least as far as my tastes are concerned). Anyway, there's only one Levinson film left and if it holds up, it should be a nice conclusion for Barry.
RATING: 4/10 Not for me, in the slightest. Next up in "Levinson Week": "Rain Man".
MOVIES WATCHED: 583
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 418
November 19, 2012 1:58pm
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