Good Morning, Vietnam (R, 1987)
common sense media says
Robin Williams at his scatalogical finest.
parents & educators say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that, compared to the sexual and violent content of some of today's PG-13 films, this one is tame. But its themes of relative morality are definitely adult in nature. The violence (infrequent but sudden) serves specific purposes. A bar brawl is spurred by some GIs' racist behavior; an explosion at the same bar (which kills two people) sets up storylines that ultimately question the premise of the Vietnam War, as well as the freedom of information allowed at that time. Foul language occurs mostly in the form of jokes.
Positive role models:
Mixed messages. The main character breaks the rules, routinely disobeys orders, is irreverent to his superiors. He is usually praised or forgiven for this behavior. He routinely makes jokes at other people's expense and for this gains popularity and the respect of his peers. However, he possesses a great deal of respect for the Vietnamese and their culture, and treats the locals he encounters with admiration and a caring attitude.
Violence:
There is a bar brawl and a bomb blows up at a bar, the latter of which shows the dead and wounded. There is also a sequence of shots during the song "What A Wonderful World" that depict war time violence (e.g. burning villages, explosions, people being executed).
Sex:
Several jokes based on sex. Soldiers socialize with what appear to be Vietnamese prostitutes in a bar.
Language:
Frequent swearing in both comedic and serious moments.
Consumerism:
Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Some drinking and smoking. The main character gets drunk once.
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Most useful reviews by all members
Caesar_12219
teen, 18 years old
teen, 18 years old
This is definitely a movie you want to see. It contains some outright irreverant humor, some of it rather crude to say the least, but it provides contrast to this with a relatively well-managed love story and a poignant and thought-provoking critique of the Vietnam war. Unlike most movies of this day, there is no senseless violence. All of it serves some purpose to push the plot forward. There are two especially wonderful scenes. One, where he finally decides to fight against the scenario and reads aloud all of the news that "wasn't", of all the real deaths and explosions that were really happening. Another, possibly the best of the movie, is where he airs the song "It's a Wonderful World". While it is playing, the movie cuts to several scenes of first the beauty of the country, and then how it is ravaged and destroyed by the war waged in it. Overall, this is not a movie that you would ever want to miss.
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24 Rocks
kid, 13 years old
kid, 13 years old
Okay for teens
This is a okay movie, but a lot of language like f--k, s--t, goddamn
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