History Film / GoodMorningVietnam

* [[CaptainObvious Chaplain Obvious]]: Noel, the army chaplain.

* FireBreathingDiner: It's ''[[CaptainObvious Vietnamese]]'' cooking!

* HateSink: Dickerson, so very, very much. There's absolutely nothing redeeming about him despite serving in the military. Taylor even lampshades it when reassigning him as punishment for his vindictiveness. This portrayal is partly because of the residual disdain in that period for [[ArmiesAreEvil "Regular Army"]] (i.e. The Military in general) since the Vietnam war. This disdain wasn't fully purged until the [[TheSixties Baby Boomers]] finally grew up and we had a war we could be [[TheGulfWar "proud of"]]. At about that time very short haircuts and shaving ones head suddenly became cool. This movie is more balanced on that topic than most movies from that time, but even it occasionally slips an anti-military dig or two.

* HateSink: Dickerson, so very, very much. There's absolutely nothing redeeming about him despite serving in the military. Taylor even lampshades it when reassigning him as punishment for his vindictiveness.

* MoodWhiplash: The movie starts off very funny and irreverent, as Cronauer adjusts (or doesn't) to life in South Vietnam with characteristic hilarity. Then [[spoiler:he's almost blown up by a Viet Cong bomb, and finds out that the Vietnamese kid he'd become friendly with is actually a Viet Cong guerrilla trying to kill as many Americans as he can, and Cronauer eventually becomes horribly disillusioned with the whole situation.]] [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar Needless to say]], the movie ends on a bit of a {{downer|Ending}}.

* MeaninglessVillainVictory: [[spoiler:Sgt. Maj. Dickerson does manage to get Cronauer off the air (and out of the military to boot), but in doing so, he shows himself to be such a petty, mean-spirited asshole that Gen. Taylor can't stomach him anymore and has him [[ReassignedToAntarctica reassigned to Guam]]. Taylor also puts Garlick on the air as Cronauer's replacement, knowing full well that he will keep things going the way Crounauer would have.]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Cronauer is kicked out of the Air Force for his unwitting friendship with a Viet Cong guerrilla. Despite his obvious shock and sadness, he does have a few more hours with his beloved English class playing softball with what look like mangoes and bamboo, and he gets to say goodbye to Trinh and leaves a comedic farewell message for Garlick to broadcast the next morning. Also, Dickerson gets transferred to Guam because his superiors are fed up with his pettiness.]]

Robin Williams got nominated for an AcademyAward (and won a Golden Globe) for Best Actor for this film.

The film is VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory of Armed Forces Radio DJ Adrian Cronauer (Williams), assigned to host radio programs for the Army during TheVietnamWar. Cronauer is brash, off-color and sexually offensive -- [[ArsonMurderAndLifesaving and the troops can't get enough of him]]! He meddles in the affairs of the Army, annoys his superiors to no end, and makes friends with a young Vietnamese boy and his sister while teaching their English class.

* InsultBackfire: When Jimmy tells Adrian of his FetishFuel, soldiers' ankles, and offers Adrian his bar for pictures of them, he says, "You're a very sick man, you know that, don't you?" and Jimmy takes it as a great compliment.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Cronauer is kicked out of the Air Force for his unwitting friendship with a Viet Cong guerrilla. Despite his obvious shock and sadness, he does have a few more hours with his beloved English class playing softball with what look like mangoes and bamboo, and gets to say goodbye to Trine. Also, Dickerson gets sent to Guam for his crimes and pettiness.]]
* BarBrawl: Instigated when Adrian takes very justifiable offense at two soldiers using racist slurs about Tuan, then pushing him to the floor. Adrian gets in a headbutt on one of the rednecks and knocks him down! Then another, which turns out like a PunchPunchPunchUhOh complete with OhCrap, goes out like a light, but fortunately his fellow radio personnel back him up. Earns him a dressing down at the hands of Dickerson.

* HateSink: Dickerson, so very, very much. There's absolutely nothing redeeming about him despite serving in the military. Taylor even ''lampshades'' it when reassigning him as punishment for his vindictiveness.