Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
88%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
7 wins & 4 nominations total
A well-calibrated blend of manic comedy and poignant drama, Good Morning, Vietnam offers a captivating look at a wide range of Robin Williams’ cinematic gifts
Good Morning, Vietnam is a classic film that showcases Robin Williams’ comedic genius. While the movie may not offer much insight into the war, Williams’ performance as Adrian Cronauer is worth the watch. He delivers manic monologues that will have you laughing out loud. It’s Hollywood’s first Vietnam comedy and one of the first movies to treat the Vietnamese people as real individuals. Williams’ scatalogical humor is on full display, and he proves that he can act and be hilariously funny in the same film. Overall, Good Morning, Vietnam is a must-watch for anyone who wants to see Robin Williams at his best.
Production Company(ies)
Buffalo Film Works Paramount Pictures, Platinum Dunes
Distributor
Touchstone Pictures, Buena Vista Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Bangkok, Thailand
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1988
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 0m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 23, 1987 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 17, 2006
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Tung Thanh Tran, Chintara Sukapatana, Bruno Kirby, Robert Wuhl, directed by Barry Levinson, written by Mitch Markowitz, comedy, R rating, box office gross $123.9M, produced by Larry Brezner and Mark Johnson, reviewed by Variety Staff, Geoff Andrew, Vincent Canby, Hal Hinson, Roger Ebert, Rene Jordan, Richard Propes, Peter Freedman, Cathy Burke, A Fish Called Wanda, Gattaca, Little Shop of Horrors, Contact, Dune, Adrian Cronauer, Vietnam War, Armed Forces Radio, DJ, censorship, soldier morale, Trinh, Sergeant Major Dickerson, J.T Walsh, Saigon, maverick airman, comedic drama, emotional payoff, morality of war, unique perspective on war, aimless script, interesting issues, themes, nonstop ride, uproarious comedy, horror and comedy, manic monologues, star vehicle, Hollywood’s first Vietnam comedy, real-life DJ Adrian Cronauer, Vietnamese people as real people, Williams’ cinematic gifts, poignant drama, captivating look
Worldwide gross: $123,922,370
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $317,295,955
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 474
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 34,601,522
US/Canada gross: $123,922,370
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $317,295,955
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 172
US/Canada opening weekend: $194,308
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $497,514
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,406
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $13,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $33,285,737
Production budget ranking: 1,097
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $17,924,369
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $266,085,848
ROI to date (est.): 520%
ROI ranking: 246
Forest Whitaker – Edward Garlick
Tung Thanh Tran – Tuan (aka Phan Duc To)
Chintara Sukapatana – Trinh
Bruno Kirby – 2nd Lt. Steven Hauk
Robert Wuhl – SSgt. Marty Lee Dreiwitz
Director(s)
Barry Levinson
Writer(s)
Mitch Markowitz
Producer(s)
Larry Brezner, Mark Johnson
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
7 wins & 4 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (44) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (39) | Rotten (5)
From the start, the film bowls you over with excitement and for those who can latch on, it’s a nonstop ride.
October 18, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Offering only hackneyed insights into the war, the film makes for stodgy drama. But Williams’ manic monologues behind the mike are worth anybody’s money.
February 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Make no mistake about it: Mr. Williams’s performance, though it’s full of uproarious comedy, is the work of an accomplished actor. ”Good Morning, Vietnam” is one man’s tour de force.
May 20, 2003 | Rating: 4/5
Vincent Canby
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
It hardly delivers on the promise of giving us the pure, undiluted Williams — Williams at his best. What’s more, it’s not even close to being his best movie. It’s not even close to being good.
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Williams is a virtuoso.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 4/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
Represents unfavorable days in the horoscopes of its respective stars. [Full review in Spanish]
July 1, 2022
Rene Jordan
El Nuevo Herald (Miami)
Robin Williams has a role practically tailor made for his irreverent, yet uniquely sensitive personality.
September 9, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
The film is distinctive for being Hollywood’s first Vietnam comedy and among the first movies to treat the Vietnamese themselves as real people.
July 26, 2017 | Rating: 3/5
Peter Freedman
Radio Times
The film is all Williams; he has a field day with this character and this country and this period in history, with all its horror — and comedy.
November 8, 2016
Cathy Burke
United Press International
Good Morning, Vietnam proved that Robin Williams could act and be hilariously funny in the same film.
January 7, 2012 | Rating: 7/10
James Plath
Movie Metropolis
Robin Williams at his scatalogical finest.
January 1, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Afsheen Nomai
Common Sense Media
Levinson serio-comedy about Vietnam is first and foremost a star vehicle for comedian Robin Williams, who gives a manic, highly-charged performance as the real-life dj Adrian Cronauer in the early years of the War.
February 14, 2008 | Rating: B
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com…
Plot
A new Disc Jockey is shipped from Crete to Vietnam to bring humor to Armed Forces Radio. He turns the studio on its ear and becomes wildly popular with the troops but runs afoul of the middle management who think he isn’t G.I. enough. While he is off the air, he tries to meet Vietnamese especially girls, and begins to have brushes with the real war that never appears on the radio.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film is a “well-calibrated blend of manic comedy and poignant drama” and offers a captivating look at Robin Williams’ cinematic gifts.
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