Topic: Do that thing you do, go on: “good morning. Vietnam, sigh”

[Replies From View]

There’s a bit in Good Morning Vietnam where one of the fans of Robin Williams’ character bundles up to him and asks him to do the famous thing he does.  Which is fine, except it’s transparent from the way he delivers it that he’s never heard the fucking line as it appears in the film.

Robin Williams goes:  “GOOOOOOOOD MORRNNNNING VIIIETNAAAAAM!!!!”

This character intones it as follows:  “good morning. Vietnam, sigh”


Obviously nobody involved in the production thought it would be necessary for this one-line supporting artist to know anything other than the words of this brilliant catchphrase, nobody asked Robin Williams to show him how he would be performing it.  It’s just a weird puncture of the reality of this film that a massive fan of Robin Williams’ character wouldn’t have a sense of what he seemingly loved.


“good morning. Vietnam, sigh”



Wondered if there were examples of similar things in other films you could think of.

[Magnum Valentino]

Closest thing I can think of is the cop bundling the hood into the back of the car in The Dark Knight and he says "have a nice trip". Aye, that's fine, that's sarcasm, he will NOT have a nice trip, no one likes getting busted.

But then the cop says "see you next fall".

That makes no sense, even less so when you consider these two things are things American kids say when they help other kids fall over. Trip, fall (like the season), it's all linked.

It's total first draft stream of consciousness writing that somehow made the shoot. The writer's subconscious suggested 'see you next fall', which contextually has one use as a pun, after the perfectly reasonable 'have a nice trip' which has two uses, both sarcastic, but one as a pun and one as irony.

Stupid fucking idiots.

Also, the Marilyn Monroe in Red Dwarf doesn't know how to say "boop boop de boop".

[icehaven]

There’s a bit in Good Morning Vietnam where one of the fans of Robin Williams’ character bundles up to him and asks him to do the famous thing he does.  Which is fine, except it’s transparent from the way he delivers it that he’s never heard the fucking line as it appears in the film.

Robin Williams goes:  “GOOOOOOOOD MORRNNNNING VIIIETNAAAAAM!!!!”

This character intones it as follows:  “good morning. Vietnam, sigh”


Obviously nobody involved in the production thought it would be necessary for this one-line supporting artist to know anything other than the words of this brilliant catchphrase, nobody asked Robin Williams to show him how he would be performing it.  It’s just a weird puncture of the reality of this film that a massive fan of Robin Williams’ character wouldn’t have a sense of what he seemingly loved.


“good morning. Vietnam, sigh”



Wondered if there were examples of similar things in other films you could think of.

I haven't seen the film but is it possibly deliberate that he says it wrong, the joke being that he's supposed to be a fan but can't even remember the catchphrase correctly? That might be baloney but I haven't seen it so I'm flying blind here.

[Replies From View]

I haven't seen the film but is it possibly deliberate that he says it wrong, the joke being that he's supposed to be a fan but can't even remember the catchphrase correctly? That might be baloney but I haven't seen it so I'm flying blind here.

No, definitely not.  Robin Williams' character is meant to be loved at this point in the film because his radio programme is giving everyone hope.

[beanheadmcginty]

I could never get on with the fact that Honey Bunny at the end of Pulp Fiction gets her lines wrong compared to at the beginning of Pulp Fiction and on the soundtrack.

[St_Eddie]

I could never get on with the fact that Honey Bunny at the end of Pulp Fiction gets her lines wrong compared to at the beginning of Pulp Fiction and on the soundtrack.

That's purposeful though.  It's to show how people's recollections of events alter from person to person.  The opening is from Pumpkin and Honey Bunny's viewpoint and the ending is from Jules and Vincent's viewpoint.  Both recall the overall event correctly but each has a different memory/interpretation of the exact words which were said.  I learnt this a few years ago from watching the official trivia track on the DVD.

[bgmnts]

I could never get on with the fact that Honey Bunny at the end of Pulp Fiction gets her lines wrong compared to at the beginning of Pulp Fiction and on the soundtrack.

That's deliberate I think.

[Replies From View]

Why didn’t St_Eddie and bgmnts speak exactly the same words just then?

[Chriddof]

I think that was intentional.

[Mr Trumpet]

I like the bit in Total Recall where the Danny DeVito lookalike sings the ad jingle very badly