“Good Morning Vietnam” is a comedic movie and thought-provoking criticism of the Vietnam War. Robin Williams plays Adrian Cronauer, an off-the-cuff radio DJ who is assigned to liven up a bland US military radio show broadcast from Saigon in South Vietnam during the War. Cronauer uses this platform not for its intended purpose of spreading American propaganda, but instead to poke fun at different facets of the unpopular war. The movie heavily criticizes US leadership, military methodology, and especially questions the reasons and outcomes of US involvement in the war.
One of the first notable aspects of the film is that it does not treat the soldiers as heroes – on the contrary, they are depicted as young men who know little of what they are …show more content…
Adrian grows very close to Tuan and considers him to be his best friend, and they are shown to spend a lot of their free time together. In the climax of the movie, we discover that Tuan is a noted member of the Viet Cong. Adrian confronts Tuan and angrily questions him about his deceit, feeling betrayed that his friend is a sworn enemy of the United States. Tuan’s charged response: “Enemy? What is enemy? […] We're not the enemy! You the enemy!” – summarize the criticisms the film has against the US involvement in Vietnam. Tuan’s response highlights that from the perspective of some Vietnamese people, the US military was not a peacekeeping force, but a highly trained foreign invader intent on destroying their country’s identity. Stemming from this, Adrian’s relationship with Trinh is a metaphorical representation of the US’s treatment of Vietnam. Although Trinh tells Adrian they are culturally incompatible, Adrian continues to force himself upon her, and tries to teach her about American culture – taking her to an American movie and trying to teach her how to speak in New York slang, hoping to win her heart. However, in the end, Adrian realizes that he and Trinh cannot be compatible, and accepts that he has to leave her …show more content…
What did the war solve, if anything? What was the cost to both the people of Vietnam and the US? Interestingly, the movie leaves us with more questions than answers. But it serves its purpose to provide the viewer with a starting point for critical analysis of the war. As the movie closes, Adrian leaves Vietnam not triumphant, nor feeling he has changed anything. The war simply continues on. The movie leaves the viewer feeling frustrated and angry with the lack of closure, and offers no concrete solutions. It is perhaps in this, that we find the most clarity, that the lack of concrete answers is why the Vietnam War is one of the most hotly debated topics in history
One of the first notable aspects of the film is that it does not treat the soldiers as heroes – on the contrary, they are depicted as young men who know little of what they are …show more content…
Adrian grows very close to Tuan and considers him to be his best friend, and they are shown to spend a lot of their free time together. In the climax of the movie, we discover that Tuan is a noted member of the Viet Cong. Adrian confronts Tuan and angrily questions him about his deceit, feeling betrayed that his friend is a sworn enemy of the United States. Tuan’s charged response: “Enemy? What is enemy? […] We're not the enemy! You the enemy!” – summarize the criticisms the film has against the US involvement in Vietnam. Tuan’s response highlights that from the perspective of some Vietnamese people, the US military was not a peacekeeping force, but a highly trained foreign invader intent on destroying their country’s identity. Stemming from this, Adrian’s relationship with Trinh is a metaphorical representation of the US’s treatment of Vietnam. Although Trinh tells Adrian they are culturally incompatible, Adrian continues to force himself upon her, and tries to teach her about American culture – taking her to an American movie and trying to teach her how to speak in New York slang, hoping to win her heart. However, in the end, Adrian realizes that he and Trinh cannot be compatible, and accepts that he has to leave her …show more content…
What did the war solve, if anything? What was the cost to both the people of Vietnam and the US? Interestingly, the movie leaves us with more questions than answers. But it serves its purpose to provide the viewer with a starting point for critical analysis of the war. As the movie closes, Adrian leaves Vietnam not triumphant, nor feeling he has changed anything. The war simply continues on. The movie leaves the viewer feeling frustrated and angry with the lack of closure, and offers no concrete solutions. It is perhaps in this, that we find the most clarity, that the lack of concrete answers is why the Vietnam War is one of the most hotly debated topics in history