4) Everything Robin Williams says in Good Morning, Vietnam – 1987
Okay, okay, I’m clearly cheating with this one. Still, I’ve always been a bit perplexed by the acclaim that greeted Robin Williams’ manic, rambling performance as real-life Vietnam-era Armed Forces Radio disc jockey Adrian Cronauer in the 1987 comedy Good Morning, Vietnam.
His improvisational riffing on the subjects of politics and pop culture were once considered hysterical, but watching the movie now, they are honestly the dullest part of the film. Even worse, director Barry Levinson frequently cuts to shots of soldiers laughing as they listen to Williams on the radio, which feels like an attempt at using peer pressure to convince the audience that the film’s star is actually funny.
Despite the fact that this movie is remembered for providing Robin Williams with his breakthrough role, he’s not even the funniest actor in it. That award goes to Bruno Kirby, as Williams’ uptight foil, superior officer Second Lieutenant Steven Hauk. He’s wonderful as the film’s straight man, and since Lt. Hauk is a man who despises the mugging antics of Robin Williams, for me – he’s ultimately the most relatable character in the movie.
