OMG...FINALLY...a channel worth watching has reacted to this fantastic movie. I've recommended this movie to no less than 30 reaction channels, and none have done it. Till now. Thank you.
My dear father was in nam and died from agent orange poisoning. The VA hospitals are an absolute joke. Our veterans deserve so much better! RIP sweet daddy. ❤😢
This movie was based on the autobiography written by Ron Kovic of his experience in Vietnam and returning home. Sad how soldiers were treated during that time. Glad Mr. Kovic is doing well these days. This is a hard movie to watch; thanks for the reaction! Peace.
My dad was in Vietnam. He talked about how they weren't welcomed home. My Grandma had to wake him up with a broom when he got back. I saw him have a flashback once when I was super young. He died for his country even though it was many years later. He said this movie was pretty accurate.
Great movie Tom was nominated for an Oscar for this role. He was so proud of this movie and very vocal about it. After this I thought of "The Deerhunter"(1978),,,worth a look🔥
As a 70s hippie, Im a pacifist, against war. My heartbreaks for what the men and women of our armed forces sacrifice. All war is horrifying, but witnessing the Vietnam war Vets go thru hell and come home to be treated so disrespectful, shunned by society, so abused, called baby killers, makes me more than Awed at their heroism. "Platoon" is a great one and on the lighter side "Good Morning Vietnam". To all Vets much love, honor and respect, Salute...Thanx so much, Peace
Reel talk! It's one of those movies that shows the harder side of service and the war at home. Healthcare is still hit and miss even now. My buddy was the first amputee from Afghanistan. Boobytrap blew up his leg. They botched the amputation surgery causing him pain and more surgeries. He killed himself in 2021. Never got over what had happened and felt he failed. Heavy movie! Love you guys❤
Thank you for your thoughtful reaction to the film! My father served 2 tours in Vietnam. He read Ron Kovic's book and then told me, a teenager, he shared some experiences with Ron. He served in the same position as Ron and after his 2nd tour my father was spit on by a young woman when he came home on the train. He felt like Ron, he joined believing the propaganda and then realized it was lie. When I was 16 my father committed suicide. I cried so hard when I watched this film in the theater. Vietnam is the first war where soldiers flew back quickly. In previous wars they came on ships and had at least 2-3 months to process some of their experiences before reaching home. Vietnam vets came home quick and got sent out again and it's only gotten worse for our soldiers since then. Much love to all of our veterans!!!!
Long post coming, sorry. This performance by Tom was great, but when I watched it, it was traumatic for me. My friend brought it over on VHS in 96 with neither of us knowing much about the movie. You see in Jan 95 I suffered a similar injury at the same level Tom does at T7 and spent the next 7 months in a spinal unit. Thankfully the medical care wasn't as bad, but it doesn't change that I saw many of the same issues both during and after hospital. The way people treat you changes, be it those that know you or not. You can wheel yourself down the street and watch the pedestrians part like the red sea, while not looking at you, except for children that can't do anything but look at you, even after you go past them. So like I said at the time this was a hard movie to watch for me, as I'd only been out of hospital a few months and was trying to adjust to the world outside of the hospital and the countless ways what happened changed my life. I can watch it now with no problem, and can say Tom must have done a LOT of research for this role and spoken to people that had been though it. Likely his best performance and should have won him an Oscar.
This is such an underrated film. People go all in for the action and shoot-em-up Vietnam movies, but like in this movie, no one wants to face the reality of that engagement. Vietnam was more than a "police action", it was an era. My family, like so many others, lost so much. Thank you for absorbing this film, and remember it whenever you see a homeless Vet.
Asia and BJ have a great understanding of this war! Thank you for the compassion and understanding you have for our men that were forced to go, and quite frankly, lied to. It was considered a “conflict” but it was a MF WAR and we lost so many people! Our soldiers were treated so badly when they came home and it wasn’t their fault, it was our government’s and war profiteering (also our government). I will never ever forgive our government for killing my dad. EVER! Love you guys!❤
This is one of Tom Cruise’s best performances; up there with Jerry Maguire (1996), The Color of Money (1987), and Rain Man (1989). This was also director Oliver Stone’s best work since Platoon (1986). He followed up this film with: - The Doors (1991) - JFK (1991) - Heaven And Earth (1993) - Natural Born Killers (1994) - Nixon (1995)
I HIGHLY recommend you watch “Platoon” a very realistic depiction of what the Vietnam war was really like for ALOT of these men that served. It was directed by Oliver Stone who is also a Vietnam veteran. It took several years for this movie to be made because he wanted to do justice to the men that served along side him. Love you Chanel by the way
I also recommend Oliver Stone's "Heaven and Earth," which tells the Vietnam war story through the eyes of a Vietnamese woman. It's based on a true story.
This movie impacted me so deeply, I’ll never forget it and all of the young men and families. I salute them, but not the war. I cry and cry thinking of them.
Powerful movie and good job you two on this reaction. My father told me to watch this movie at the start of the war in Iraq. I was so ready to serve my country. My father saw how the veterans we're discarded during the Vietnam War when coming back home. Was surprised and decided not to join in case I ended up like that or worse.
@@davisworth5114Thank God for him to. He came across a veteran back in late 60s while doing security I think at the airport. My father did not smoke but ask the man was it over there? The veteran still in uniform said man it's not even worth it. My father decided to buy a pack big the man veteran was gone by then. Looking back at the War on Terrorism makes me wonder if it was just like another version of Vietnam.
Full Metal Jacket is also a movie about the Vietnam War with a lot of realism - well worth watching. My mom was a teenager in the late sixties and says she still remembers a boy she grew up with who was crying as he left to go to Vietnam after being drafted because he was so scared and how he didn’t come back.
OMG! I saw this in the theatre with my mom (not really knowing the Vietnam war era history at all) and was utterly in tears. One of the only movies to ever get me crying. I cry all the time now😂 but in my youth I was one of those unaffected, bit of a brat teens. And...this is the movie that convinced me that Tom can act his ass off! So glad you two are reacting to this...I'm looking forward to this!!! Thank you.💚
Excellent reaction Asia & BJ. My birthday really happens to be July 4th. As a teen, I worked at a flower shop & delivered arrangements to a local out of the way veteran’s hospital. As I walked through that place, all I saw were elderly thrown away men who barely looked alive. I had hard time watching this again. I’m glad you’re here to bring awareness to matters like this.
Great movie and especially when we're being expected to be used in "forever wars". This is about the cost of the bravery needed to stand up to corrupt authority.
I live in Massapequa, the NY town featured, and graduated from same high school. My father is of that generation and met Ron Kovic many times in bars and at parties. It's so cool to have a movie that takes place in a town where you live with places you still go to
Born on the Fourth of July is a bold and brilliant classic! Powerful performance from Tom Cruise. And Oscar winning direction from Oliver Stone. Hopefully this video inspires more channels to watch this classic.
I love the Mission Impossible-Franchise, but damn I miss the dramatic acting Tom Cruise in Movies like Collateral, A few good Men, Magnolia, The Firm, etc. This is still his best Performance, amazing Film.
You’re real ones for reacting to this brutally honest film. People forget this film but IMO not only is it Cruise's best performance, it's one of the greatest acting performances of all time.
One of the saddest war movies ever made and also one of the most powerful anti war films ever made. Nominated for 8 Oscars including Best Picture, but won for Best Director and Best Film Editing. It won 4 Golden Globes: Best Picture (Drama) Best Director Best Actor Tom Cruise (Rescinded due to accusations of the Hollywood Foreign Press for being prejudiced) Best Screenplay.
Coming Home was a real sad one too and The Best Years of Our Lives..which was a pretty amazing film. Oh and this film a little like Regarding Henry, which is a great Harrison Ford film.
Asia & BJ, I think y’all are the only ones to react to this really tough film. The 60s were just chaotic on a whole different scale, & caught up in that fracture were the Veterans, who were treated terribly. From everything I’ve read & studied, that decade started a steep downhill slide of culture & society in America…which directly impacted the following generation in so many negative ways. We’re paying for it 1000 different ways today.
One of the best movies I’ve seen only because I had to go thru all that realization after I got out of the military. I didn’t go to Vietnam, I went to desert storm…and then you start to realize all that was based on lies. Messed with my mental health, medical health is messed up. I only saw this back in 2000 and wish I was able to see a movie like this in 1987. Tom Cruise was phenomenal in this, fantastic.
You two never fail to dig down and appreciate the messages deeper in a film, and I always want to see and hear your reactions. As expected this film was both praised and panned. Several actors were also in Stone’s movie Platoon - Tom Berenger, Willem Defoe & John McGinley. Stone made a cameo here as a reporter doing an interview, and Kovic was also in it as the WWII vet in the early parade who was startled by the firecracker going off. Today it can be hard for people to understand those times and turbulence but for us of that generation, it was hard to pick out what was the truth and what was the right way forward. From this very old, retired Sergeant Major who was in the midst of all this, thanks for taking on this movie.
I think you guys are the only people who could get me to watch a video about a biographical drama!! I love your chemistry and back-and-forths! And I love your videos because they give me a chance to experience movies I’d never think to watch otherwise! ❤
Oliver Stone served in Vietnam and wanted to make his own Vietnam movie for years, which ended up being Platoon. This was his most personal film and what many consider to be the last great Vietnam movie.
In the 80's Don Johnson starred in a fantastic small film called "Ceasefire", about the after effects of the Vietnam War. He played a traumatized vet trying to deal with his memories, first denying them, then being consumed by them, then learning to live with them. Really excellent performances, very deep and heartfelt. I think you'd really like it. (It was that film that got him the lead role in the series "Miami Vice", an absolute icon of the 80's.)
And keep in mind, a lot of those young men who went over there had no choice in the matter, they were drafted. Now imagine being drafted and sent over there, getting wounded or worse yet disabled, and then having to suffer the judgment and disrespect of an entire nation when you came "Home ". 😔
Another side to this is an underrated movie “Taking Chance” It takes place more recently but follows the other side of the narrative regarding those who come home draped in the flag.
15:00 - It wasn't that the CO didn't care. He knew he was telling the truth, but understood it was an accident during a chaotic retreat ... and would only hurt the strength of that platoon opening an investigation into something that would probably be attributed to the chaos of war - if it was investigated at all. It wasn't a heartless response, or ignoring the facts. It was an attempt to prevent any further damage than had already been done. Does no good to dwell on those things during war. It only puts you at further risk.
This is an excellent movie that I will only watch once in a while because of how unsettling it is. I love all Tom Cruise flicks. Tom was almost 30 when he did this movie- he had a way of looking very young for a long time and didn't really start to show aging signs until around 50 honestly. He commits so well to all of his roles and this movie is a great example. Thanks for the reaction guys!
$1,700 disability pay a month in 1969 is $14,000 a month in 2023. So not too shabby. Actually, that seems a lot. I wonder if the filmmakers got that bit right.
I didn't think of Tom Cruise as much more than a grinning pretty boy throughout his early career. Then I saw this film and came to appreciate how much talent he can bring to the table when he reaches beyond those roles.
My dad was in Vietnam. One of the guys that carried the communication devices. He made it back home. Do you know the life expectancy of a guy in Vietnam carrying the communication equipment? Less than 5 seconds in combat
Great movie about the Vietnam experience. I saw Kovac speak in college in the late 80's. Inspirational to see him speak when i as just a college kid. Check out "The Deer Hunter" - the best nam movie per what the solders went through. "the Deer Hunter" seems to have been forgotten today sadly, but its a great movie also worth your viewing. 2 cents. thanks for your channel, always love watching you watching the classics. peace!
One of the things that makes Born On The Fourth of July extremely unique is that while most movies calling themselves “patriotic” usually associate war with patriotism and thus think they “have to” be pro war by default, Born On The Fourth of July stands alone in its cinematic uniqueness as a patriotic ANTIWAR film. Ron in the movie even indirectly highlights this at one part of the film by calling out peoples preconception that one must somehow be in support of every war to “love” America by responding “WELL I LOVE AMERICA!!!” in spite himself being as antiwar as they come. The ultimate message of the film is that you don’t have to love war to love your country, hence the patriotic iconography and americana imagery shown and referenced all throughout the film as well as the patriotic music periodically used throughout the film, in fact the title itself is a reference to a classic patriotic song very popular each and every Fourth of July fireworks night called “Yankee Doodle Dandy” that features the lyrics “Oh I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy! A Yankee Doodle, do or die! A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam! BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY!!!” Not only that but the music playing at the end credits is also meant to cleverly reference the film’s themes of associating peace with patriotism because the song literally being played at the end credits is “You’re A Grand Old Flag” which features the fitting lyrics “You’re a grand old flag! You’re a high flying flag! AND FOREVER IN PEACE MAY YOU WAVE!!!”
There is another wonderful movie inspired by Ron Kovic. "Coming Home" was nominated for 8 Oscars & it's stars, Jon Voight & Jane Fonda, won Best Actor & Best Actress. It's more of a love story (although it also deals with the after effects of the war) about a the wife of a Marine falling in love with a paraplegic veteran while her husband is still in the service. It's a 1979 film but still holds up & is very much worthwhile, for reactors or anyone looking for a powerful drama to watch. 💙💫💙💫💙💫💙💫💙💫💙💫💙
I remember playing war in the woods in the 80s as a kid, except we used sticks as guns. Never imagined I would be doing as an adult in Iraq from 05-06.
The part of the homecoming scene that always tears at me is when his dad hugs him. His dad was a WWII vet and was a large part of why Ron was so eager to go to Vietnam. Within just a minute or two of screen time, Raymond J Berry conveyed both a father’s relief that his son is alive and the guilt of knowing he led to his son’s condition.
Hey, A & B! The Director of this film, Oliver Stone, is a Vietnam War combat Veteran, serving in the Infantry. 3 years before this movie, he directed and wrote the Academy Award winning, Platoon, which is about combat in Vietnam. You definitely should watch it someday. Hope ya'll are doing well!
A great movie I forget to remember. The house scene when he's drunk and the yelling with mom was very emotional to me, teared up, powerful. Another great Vietnam movie not alot of ppl react to was Good Morning, Vietnam. You may have done it, I'll have to scroll your list. I think it's Robin Williams' best movie performance ever. Just discovered your channel, looking forward to more. Be well 👍✌️🎬
Happy Veterans Day…huge soul hugs to all the vets out there❤🤍💙 Asia and BJ, thank you so much for doing this movie and a huge shout out to the person who gave it to you! It’s super important historically and it was when we all realized that Tom Cruise was more than just good looking, he got cheated out of an Oscar for sure. For those of us who have Vietnam vets in our circle it’s hard to watch, But it’s just so important not to look away… My dad was one of those Vets…USMC, what he did and saw in Vietnam remains a mystery, secrets he took to his grave…a grave that he chose to go to too soon. His father, grandad, also USMC, was stationed at Pearl Harbor on the day of the Japanese attack, and was one of the survivors. My mother’s dad served in the army during World War II as well, on the European side… made it home only to be killed in a car crash a year after my mother was born… I used to bartend in a small Colorado mountain town, a lot of Vietnam vets lived there deep in the mountains, where they could be left alone…several of them were my regulars I got to know each and everyone one of them and loved them dearly. They suffered a lot from various things they got from that war… suicidal cluster migraines from agent orange…And all the PTSD from shit they did over there. The gruffest old mountain men you ever saw in your life would come and give the most heart wrenchingly beautiful toasts on days like today…. Gone, but Never Ever Forgotten, may you all Rest In Peace
One of the best Vietnam movie there is! and the performance by Tom Cruise was oustanding,he was even nominated and almost won the Oscar in 1989. As always great reaction. Peace!
Not knowing who Ron Kovic was (turns out he's a fellow Croat 🇭🇷), watching this movie as a kid was a shock. You're not used to the main character in a war movie getting taken out in the early stages of it (They're still using the M-14 rifle instead of the M-16 rifle, that's how early he joined). Then going through his torture while he's living as a less of a man, not being able to contribute to society, not being able to have kids. It's tough to watch. The most heroic thing he did was tell the Wilson family that he killed their son, even though the father knows what he's gonna say and tells him that they don't need to hear it 😢. Hits you right in the heart ❤.
Hey Asia, wha'ts up BJ? HAPPY Friday And, HAPPY Veteran's Day, to ALL who have served America! I am thankful and appreciative of your services rendered!!❤👏🏾👍🏽❤
This channel is killing it right now. Your output was insane during the Halloween season so many videos with so many good movies and so far in November you keep dropping these Heavy Hitters. I'm glad you did this movie it's one of my favorites and nobody on TH-cam has it
My father was a Vietnam veteran who was wounded and received less than adequate care(that's as polite as I can be), and he was a citizen of Scotland who came here as a boy. He ENLISTED to go to war. He served, was wounded and returned to be disrespected and mistreated at every step of the way. But what angered me more than anything was that no matter what, my father remained loyal and patriotic to his dying day. I never could understand how he remained that way despite all the ways he was screwed over. Those who serve deserve all the respect in the world. But the government sends them to fight wars based on THEIR own agendas and then don't even give then the proper respect and care they've earned. Never trust the government. Ever.
(@3:40) One of the soldiers in the wheelchair (with the mustache), who flinches when he hears the firecrackers, is Ron Kovic. He's the author of the book that the movie is based on. Tom Cruise played him in the movie.
Hey Asia hey B.J phenomenal movie very moving great Friday night movie 🔥 Just had to add you warm my heart with your compassion for the vets they all deserve better it is a shame for this country
I had a couple of friends who were in Viet Nam. I had to eventually end those friendships because if their PTSD and fear for my personal safety. PTSD is no joke and is very sad.
If I remember correctly, the Vietnam Vets are the ONLY veterans treated this way. Americans realized their mistake, mistreating them and have treated all vetrans since then better. My feeling is, if you see a Vietnam Vet, thank them for the service and SACRIFICE as they were not treated like heroes. I live in Toledo, OH, every 6 months, or so, our area has an Honor Flight that takes Veterans to Washington D.C. to visit the war memorials. When the Veterans routine later that same day, there are hundrrds of folks cheering for them when they get off the airplane. The Vietnam Vets FINALLY get their DESERVED heroes welcome home. They ALL say how therapeutic that is. God BLESS ALL our Veterans!!!
That is return home the same day...my post is getting 'auto corrected.' By the way, it was president Nixon that pulled us out of the Vietnam war. Kennedy got us in, Johnson escalated it and Nixon, after the Kent State riots, got us out. Another movie, based on a true life story, is The Killing Fields. It's about the Horrible life conditions in Cambodia after the US pulled out. It's intense..but Great at the end of the movie...
As a sailor off the coast of Vietnam we played anti war songs on the ships radio station. There were speakers thru out the ship. Im sure our captain heard it. We didnt complain just did our job in support of the Marines.
I'm so glad to see the two of you getting filled in on the underbelly of the war and the narrative. I was 16 in 1967, and by 1969 I was facing -at a safe distance - the truth you're getting to stare at now. Profound sadness; profound grief; profound injustice. And nobody with a White Hat in sight...basically on either side. "Mostly say 'Hurray for our side"" ( Buffalo Springfield). Which you reacted to ("For What It's Worth").
My brother served in the Army during the Vietnam War era. He got very lucky and didn't have to serve in Vietnam. Because his captain wanted him to stay to be his driver. Thank God. I was too young to understand anything except soldiers who went there were dying. My brother volunteered at 18 instead of waiting to be drafted. When he came home after basic training, my mom was so proud of his Service. But when he marched me and my 2 younger sisters around the front yard with the cadence of ...I don't know, but I've been told...Eskimo p**sy is mighty cold!...My mom came out immediately and said don't you blaspheme around these girls! We didn't know what it meant only that we were happy to March right behind him. Left, left ,left, right,left. One two three four, one two. ..three four!
I was not a Tom Cruise fan when I went to see this movie in my senior year of high school, but I’d read about Ron Kovic (this movie is based on his autobiography). To me, it still stands out as the best performance of TC’s career. He fought for this role hard and took a year to work with veterans to properly research the background. It was well worth the effort. Thanks for another amazing and honest reaction.❤❤❤❤
![Ron Kovic (Born On The Fourth Of July) INTERVIEW 1977 [Reelin' In The Years Archive]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VWVAkM1-Wtk/mqdefault.jpg)
OMG...FINALLY...a channel worth watching has reacted to this fantastic movie. I've recommended this movie to no less than 30 reaction channels, and none have done it. Till now. Thank you.
Feel the same. Suggested a million times. Finally.
My dear father was in nam and died from agent orange poisoning. The VA hospitals are an absolute joke. Our veterans deserve so much better! RIP sweet daddy. ❤😢
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yep, the VA and my father too
My dad died of agent orange too. He was only 58. Yes,the VA was an absolute joke. RIP to your father.
@@tjmbathwater they are waiting until all of our vets are gone before they pay out. It’s disgusting what they did back then! RIP to your dad also!❤️😢
This movie was based on the autobiography written by Ron Kovic of his experience in Vietnam and returning home. Sad how soldiers were treated during that time. Glad Mr. Kovic is doing well these days. This is a hard movie to watch; thanks for the reaction! Peace.
One of Tom Cruise best performances. Should've won an Oscar for this film.
100%
I think he was nominated at least.
Check out his movie American Made. What a wild ride.
Besides the point. This is unwatchable with the black line across the screen!
Ya idk about that. Definitely a great performance but Daniel Day Lewis also turned in a great performance that year.
My dad was in Vietnam. He talked about how they weren't welcomed home. My Grandma had to wake him up with a broom when he got back. I saw him have a flashback once when I was super young. He died for his country even though it was many years later. He said this movie was pretty accurate.
Veteran, here,thanks for recognizing!
Great movie Tom was nominated for an Oscar for this role. He was so proud of this movie and very vocal about it. After this I thought of "The Deerhunter"(1978),,,worth a look🔥
I had a serious heart attack on July 4th 2014 but I’m still fighting and you guys make me glad to be alive ❤
As a 70s hippie, Im a pacifist, against war. My heartbreaks for what the men and women of our armed forces sacrifice. All war is horrifying, but witnessing the Vietnam war Vets go thru hell and come home to be treated so disrespectful, shunned by society, so abused, called baby killers, makes me more than Awed at their heroism. "Platoon" is a great one and on the lighter side "Good Morning Vietnam". To all Vets much love, honor and respect, Salute...Thanx so much, Peace
It's sad that people couldn't protest the war without being disrespectful to veterans.
Not lost on me that this was the Veteran's Day episode. Happy Veteran's Day from a fellow vet.
Reel talk! It's one of those movies that shows the harder side of service and the war at home. Healthcare is still hit and miss even now. My buddy was the first amputee from Afghanistan. Boobytrap blew up his leg. They botched the amputation surgery causing him pain and more surgeries. He killed himself in 2021. Never got over what had happened and felt he failed. Heavy movie! Love you guys❤
I am so so very sorry. I hate to hear that. May his memory be a blessing to all of you who knew and loved him, and may he finally be at peace. 🤍
Thank you for your thoughtful reaction to the film! My father served 2 tours in Vietnam. He read Ron Kovic's book and then told me, a teenager, he shared some experiences with Ron. He served in the same position as Ron and after his 2nd tour my father was spit on by a young woman when he came home on the train. He felt like Ron, he joined believing the propaganda and then realized it was lie. When I was 16 my father committed suicide. I cried so hard when I watched this film in the theater. Vietnam is the first war where soldiers flew back quickly. In previous wars they came on ships and had at least 2-3 months to process some of their experiences before reaching home. Vietnam vets came home quick and got sent out again and it's only gotten worse for our soldiers since then. Much love to all of our veterans!!!!
Much love and condolences to you too. Thanks for sharing this Terri
Long post coming, sorry. This performance by Tom was great, but when I watched it, it was traumatic for me. My friend brought it over on VHS in 96 with neither of us knowing much about the movie. You see in Jan 95 I suffered a similar injury at the same level Tom does at T7 and spent the next 7 months in a spinal unit. Thankfully the medical care wasn't as bad, but it doesn't change that I saw many of the same issues both during and after hospital. The way people treat you changes, be it those that know you or not. You can wheel yourself down the street and watch the pedestrians part like the red sea, while not looking at you, except for children that can't do anything but look at you, even after you go past them.
So like I said at the time this was a hard movie to watch for me, as I'd only been out of hospital a few months and was trying to adjust to the world outside of the hospital and the countless ways what happened changed my life. I can watch it now with no problem, and can say Tom must have done a LOT of research for this role and spoken to people that had been though it. Likely his best performance and should have won him an Oscar.
This movie is astonishing and Tom Cruise is brilliant in it.
Ron Kovics book is so moving. I read in 8th grade and he became one of my heroes.
This is such an underrated film. People go all in for the action and shoot-em-up Vietnam movies, but like in this movie, no one wants to face the reality of that engagement. Vietnam was more than a "police action", it was an era.
My family, like so many others, lost so much. Thank you for absorbing this film, and remember it whenever you see a homeless Vet.
Asia and BJ have a great understanding of this war! Thank you for the compassion and understanding you have for our men that were forced to go, and quite frankly, lied to. It was considered a “conflict” but it was a MF WAR and we lost so many people! Our soldiers were treated so badly when they came home and it wasn’t their fault, it was our government’s and war profiteering (also our government). I will never ever forgive our government for killing my dad. EVER! Love you guys!❤
This is one of Tom Cruise’s best performances; up there with Jerry Maguire (1996), The Color of Money (1987), and Rain Man (1989).
This was also director Oliver Stone’s best work since Platoon (1986). He followed up this film with:
- The Doors (1991)
- JFK (1991)
- Heaven And Earth (1993)
- Natural Born Killers (1994)
- Nixon (1995)
Don't forget Alexander the Great and Snowden.
Don’t forget Magnolia. Cruise was great as well.
I HIGHLY recommend you watch “Platoon” a very realistic depiction of what the Vietnam war was really like for ALOT of these men that served. It was directed by Oliver Stone who is also a Vietnam veteran. It took several years for this movie to be made because he wanted to do justice to the men that served along side him. Love you Chanel by the way
I also recommend Oliver Stone's "Heaven and Earth," which tells the Vietnam war story through the eyes of a Vietnamese woman. It's based on a true story.
I thought they watched platoon already
@@davidvainqueur2482 "Heaven and Earth" is a fantastic movie. That one scene with TLJ is about as good as it ever gets, acting wise.
Hamburger Hill
This movie impacted me so deeply, I’ll never forget it and all of the young men and families. I salute them, but not the war. I cry and cry thinking of them.
Powerful movie and good job you two on this reaction.
My father told me to watch this movie at the start of the war in Iraq. I was so ready to serve my country. My father saw how the veterans we're discarded during the Vietnam War when coming back home. Was surprised and decided not to join in case I ended up like that or worse.
@unconditionalluv
Bless you, but above all, bless your father.
If only more young men had a father like you!
Thank God for your Father, from a Vietnam veteran.
@@lechat8533Thank you.
@@davisworth5114Thank God for him to. He came across a veteran back in late 60s while doing security I think at the airport. My father did not smoke but ask the man was it over there? The veteran still in uniform said man it's not even worth it. My father decided to buy a pack big the man veteran was gone by then. Looking back at the War on Terrorism makes me wonder if it was just like another version of Vietnam.
So you were a coward then and decided it wasn’t important enough to serve your country regardless of the consequences.
Full Metal Jacket is also a movie about the Vietnam War with a lot of realism - well worth watching. My mom was a teenager in the late sixties and says she still remembers a boy she grew up with who was crying as he left to go to Vietnam after being drafted because he was so scared and how he didn’t come back.
Thank you for your service Mr. Ron Kovic and all who have served and are currently serving 🇺🇲🪖🎖️❤️✌🏾❤️🇺🇸
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BJ, you may never have gotten the winning home run, but you got the best prize of all: Asia! Everybody say "Awww!"
OMG! I saw this in the theatre with my mom (not really knowing the Vietnam war era history at all) and was utterly in tears. One of the only movies to ever get me crying. I cry all the time now😂 but in my youth I was one of those unaffected, bit of a brat teens.
And...this is the movie that convinced me that Tom can act his ass off!
So glad you two are reacting to this...I'm looking forward to this!!! Thank you.💚
Excellent reaction Asia & BJ.
My birthday really happens to be July 4th.
As a teen, I worked at a flower shop & delivered arrangements to a local out of the way veteran’s hospital. As I walked through that place, all I saw were elderly thrown away men who barely looked alive. I had hard time watching this again. I’m glad you’re here to bring awareness to matters like this.
My Dad and uncles and friend's Dad were drafted for Vietnam War. I can remember the night terrors they would go through.
"Deer Hunter" is a must watch.
Great movie and especially when we're being expected to be used in "forever wars". This is about the cost of the bravery needed to stand up to corrupt authority.
As a Marine this movie is one of my favorites along with Platoon and full metal jacket. Semper Fi. Love y’all’s reactions. 👏👏🥰
The soldier in the parade you saw flinching at the beginning was a cameo by Ron Kovic.
(39:45) I'm just glad to know that Elias survived the botched fire mission and is hiding in TJ drinking tequila.
I live in Massapequa, the NY town featured, and graduated from same high school. My father is of that generation and met Ron Kovic many times in bars and at parties. It's so cool to have a movie that takes place in a town where you live with places you still go to
Born on the Fourth of July is a bold and brilliant classic!
Powerful performance from Tom Cruise.
And Oscar winning direction from Oliver Stone.
Hopefully this video inspires more channels to watch this classic.
I love the Mission Impossible-Franchise, but damn I miss the dramatic acting Tom Cruise in Movies like Collateral, A few good Men, Magnolia, The Firm, etc. This is still his best Performance, amazing Film.
You’re real ones for reacting to this brutally honest film. People forget this film but IMO not only is it Cruise's best performance, it's one of the greatest acting performances of all time.
One of the saddest war movies ever made and also one of the most powerful anti war films ever made.
Nominated for 8 Oscars including Best Picture, but won for Best Director and Best Film Editing.
It won 4 Golden Globes:
Best Picture (Drama)
Best Director
Best Actor Tom Cruise (Rescinded due to accusations of the Hollywood Foreign Press for being prejudiced)
Best Screenplay.
Coming Home was a real sad one too and The Best Years of Our Lives..which was a pretty amazing film. Oh and this film a little like Regarding Henry, which is a great Harrison Ford film.
I knew Ron Kovic for a while in the 70s, Tom Cruise does him perfectly.
Speak with a Vietnam vet that served in an infantry role, what they went through was even more insane than what this film depicts.
Shout out to Oliver Stone for serving in Nam and directing this heartbreaking tale of innocence lost to the military industrial complex.
Asia & BJ, I think y’all are the only ones to react to this really tough film. The 60s were just chaotic on a whole different scale, & caught up in that fracture were the Veterans, who were treated terribly. From everything I’ve read & studied, that decade started a steep downhill slide of culture & society in America…which directly impacted the following generation in so many negative ways. We’re paying for it 1000 different ways today.
One of the best movies I’ve seen only because I had to go thru all that realization after I got out of the military. I didn’t go to Vietnam, I went to desert storm…and then you start to realize all that was based on lies. Messed with my mental health, medical health is messed up. I only saw this back in 2000 and wish I was able to see a movie like this in 1987. Tom Cruise was phenomenal in this, fantastic.
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You two never fail to dig down and appreciate the messages deeper in a film, and I always want to see and hear your reactions. As expected this film was both praised and panned. Several actors were also in Stone’s movie Platoon - Tom Berenger, Willem Defoe & John McGinley. Stone made a cameo here as a reporter doing an interview, and Kovic was also in it as the WWII vet in the early parade who was startled by the firecracker going off. Today it can be hard for people to understand those times and turbulence but for us of that generation, it was hard to pick out what was the truth and what was the right way forward. From this very old, retired Sergeant Major who was in the midst of all this, thanks for taking on this movie.
I think you guys are the only people who could get me to watch a video about a biographical drama!! I love your chemistry and back-and-forths! And I love your videos because they give me a chance to experience movies I’d never think to watch otherwise! ❤
Oliver Stone served in Vietnam and wanted to make his own Vietnam movie for years, which ended up being Platoon. This was his most personal film and what many consider to be the last great Vietnam movie.
In the 80's Don Johnson starred in a fantastic small film called "Ceasefire", about the after effects of the Vietnam War. He played a traumatized vet trying to deal with his memories, first denying them, then being consumed by them, then learning to live with them. Really excellent performances, very deep and heartfelt. I think you'd really like it. (It was that film that got him the lead role in the series "Miami Vice", an absolute icon of the 80's.)
Asia has been watching SO many horror movies that when she sees woods she’s preparing herself for someone jumping out to scare her!!!😮
She has horror PTSD.
@@martykerker9464Me Too which is why I don’t watch horror movies anymore 😩
Unfortunately I had to skip the majority of October, lol. No offense to Asia and BJ, love you guys ❤️
And keep in mind, a lot of those young men who went over there had no choice in the matter, they were drafted. Now imagine being drafted and sent over there, getting wounded or worse yet disabled, and then having to suffer the judgment and disrespect of an entire nation when you came "Home ". 😔
Thank you.
I love how Asia thought the opening was scary 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Such a pure soul. You have a great wife, BJ!
Best performance in CRUISE's career
Another side to this is an underrated movie “Taking Chance” It takes place more recently but follows the other side of the narrative regarding those who come home draped in the flag.
15:00 - It wasn't that the CO didn't care. He knew he was telling the truth, but understood it was an accident during a chaotic retreat ... and would only hurt the strength of that platoon opening an investigation into something that would probably be attributed to the chaos of war - if it was investigated at all.
It wasn't a heartless response, or ignoring the facts. It was an attempt to prevent any further damage than had already been done. Does no good to dwell on those things during war. It only puts you at further risk.
This is an excellent movie that I will only watch once in a while because of how unsettling it is. I love all Tom Cruise flicks. Tom was almost 30 when he did this movie- he had a way of looking very young for a long time and didn't really start to show aging signs until around 50 honestly. He commits so well to all of his roles and this movie is a great example. Thanks for the reaction guys!
$1,700 disability pay a month in 1969 is $14,000 a month in 2023. So not too shabby. Actually, that seems a lot. I wonder if the filmmakers got that bit right.
Yea that seems like wayyy too much.
I didn't think of Tom Cruise as much more than a grinning pretty boy throughout his early career.
Then I saw this film and came to appreciate how much talent he can bring to the table when he reaches beyond those roles.
My dad was in Vietnam. One of the guys that carried the communication devices. He made it back home. Do you know the life expectancy of a guy in Vietnam carrying the communication equipment? Less than 5 seconds in combat
God bless your father
Great movie about the Vietnam experience. I saw Kovac speak in college in the late 80's. Inspirational to see him speak when i as just a college kid.
Check out "The Deer Hunter" - the best nam movie per what the solders went through.
"the Deer Hunter" seems to have been forgotten today sadly, but its a great movie also worth your viewing.
2 cents.
thanks for your channel, always love watching you watching the classics.
peace!
One of the things that makes Born On The Fourth of July extremely unique is that while most movies calling themselves “patriotic” usually associate war with patriotism and thus think they “have to” be pro war by default, Born On The Fourth of July stands alone in its cinematic uniqueness as a patriotic ANTIWAR film. Ron in the movie even indirectly highlights this at one part of the film by calling out peoples preconception that one must somehow be in support of every war to “love” America by responding “WELL I LOVE AMERICA!!!” in spite himself being as antiwar as they come. The ultimate message of the film is that you don’t have to love war to love your country, hence the patriotic iconography and americana imagery shown and referenced all throughout the film as well as the patriotic music periodically used throughout the film, in fact the title itself is a reference to a classic patriotic song very popular each and every Fourth of July fireworks night called “Yankee Doodle Dandy” that features the lyrics “Oh I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy! A Yankee Doodle, do or die! A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam! BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY!!!” Not only that but the music playing at the end credits is also meant to cleverly reference the film’s themes of associating peace with patriotism because the song literally being played at the end credits is “You’re A Grand Old Flag” which features the fitting lyrics “You’re a grand old flag! You’re a high flying flag! AND FOREVER IN PEACE MAY YOU WAVE!!!”
There is another wonderful movie inspired by Ron Kovic. "Coming Home" was nominated for 8 Oscars & it's stars, Jon Voight & Jane Fonda, won Best Actor & Best Actress.
It's more of a love story (although it also deals with the after effects of the war) about a the wife of a Marine falling in love with a paraplegic veteran while her husband is still in the service.
It's a 1979 film but still holds up & is very much worthwhile, for reactors or anyone looking for a powerful drama to watch.
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Great reaction to a classic! Just as relevant today as ever.
This is EASILY Tom’s best performance as an actor! His action films are great but this one remains my favorite 💯🤍💙
Great movie, very underrated. American Made: Tom was awesome in this unbelievable true story.
I remember playing war in the woods in the 80s as a kid, except we used sticks as guns. Never imagined I would be doing as an adult in Iraq from 05-06.
This movie is based on Ron Kovic’s life and experiences. Look up his autobiography, it’s a great read.
The part of the homecoming scene that always tears at me is when his dad hugs him. His dad was a WWII vet and was a large part of why Ron was so eager to go to Vietnam. Within just a minute or two of screen time, Raymond J Berry conveyed both a father’s relief that his son is alive and the guilt of knowing he led to his son’s condition.
This is the film I point to when someone says Tom Cruise can’t act. He crushed this performance.
It's a crime that Tom didn't win an academy award for this role.
This movie and Casualties of War broke me as a teenager, never forgot those movies..
Hey, A & B! The Director of this film, Oliver Stone, is a Vietnam War combat Veteran, serving in the Infantry. 3 years before this movie, he directed and wrote the Academy Award winning, Platoon, which is about combat in Vietnam. You definitely should watch it someday. Hope ya'll are doing well!
Tom was robbed of an Oscar for his performance in this movie. So glad you guys reacted to this. A great movie.
I've been wanting to watch that movie for about 34 years. I think it's about time. I'll be back in a bit.😂
I grew up as a Vietnam veteran son. It was no walk in the park.
A great movie I forget to remember. The house scene when he's drunk and the yelling with mom was very emotional to me, teared up, powerful.
Another great Vietnam movie not alot of ppl react to was Good Morning, Vietnam. You may have done it, I'll have to scroll your list. I think it's Robin Williams' best movie performance ever.
Just discovered your channel, looking forward to more.
Be well 👍✌️🎬
Happy Veterans Day…huge soul hugs to all the vets out there❤🤍💙
Asia and BJ, thank you so much for doing this movie and a huge shout out to the person who gave it to you! It’s super important historically and it was when we all realized that Tom Cruise was more than just good looking, he got cheated out of an Oscar for sure. For those of us who have Vietnam vets in our circle it’s hard to watch, But it’s just so important not to look away… My dad was one of those Vets…USMC, what he did and saw in Vietnam remains a mystery, secrets he took to his grave…a grave that he chose to go to too soon. His father, grandad, also USMC, was stationed at Pearl Harbor on the day of the Japanese attack, and was one of the survivors. My mother’s dad served in the army during World War II as well, on the European side… made it home only to be killed in a car crash a year after my mother was born…
I used to bartend in a small Colorado mountain town, a lot of Vietnam vets lived there deep in the mountains, where they could be left alone…several of them were my regulars I got to know each and everyone one of them and loved them dearly. They suffered a lot from various things they got from that war… suicidal cluster migraines from agent orange…And all the PTSD from shit they did over there. The gruffest old mountain men you ever saw in your life would come and give the most heart wrenchingly beautiful toasts on days like today….
Gone, but Never Ever Forgotten, may you all Rest In Peace
One of the best Vietnam movie there is! and the performance by Tom Cruise was oustanding,he was even nominated and almost won the Oscar in 1989. As always great reaction. Peace!
I wish they ended with actual clips of Kovic's actual speech at the 1976 Democratic Convention. It's an amazing speech!
Not knowing who Ron Kovic was (turns out he's a fellow Croat 🇭🇷), watching this movie as a kid was a shock. You're not used to the main character in a war movie getting taken out in the early stages of it (They're still using the M-14 rifle instead of the M-16 rifle, that's how early he joined).
Then going through his torture while he's living as a less of a man, not being able to contribute to society, not being able to have kids.
It's tough to watch.
The most heroic thing he did was tell the Wilson family that he killed their son, even though the father knows what he's gonna say and tells him that they don't need to hear it 😢.
Hits you right in the heart ❤.
Hey Asia, wha'ts up BJ? HAPPY Friday And, HAPPY Veteran's Day, to ALL who have served America! I am thankful and appreciative of your services rendered!!❤👏🏾👍🏽❤
This channel is killing it right now. Your output was insane during the Halloween season so many videos with so many good movies and so far in November you keep dropping these Heavy Hitters. I'm glad you did this movie it's one of my favorites and nobody on TH-cam has it
GREAT MOVIE ASAI& BJ!!! 👍😊 AND A PERFECT WAY TO THANK VETERANS. SO THANKS GUYS! 😊
My father was a Vietnam veteran who was wounded and received less than adequate care(that's as polite as I can be), and he was a citizen of Scotland who came here as a boy. He ENLISTED to go to war. He served, was wounded and returned to be disrespected and mistreated at every step of the way. But what angered me more than anything was that no matter what, my father remained loyal and patriotic to his dying day. I never could understand how he remained that way despite all the ways he was screwed over. Those who serve deserve all the respect in the world. But the government sends them to fight wars based on THEIR own agendas and then don't even give then the proper respect and care they've earned. Never trust the government. Ever.
Really a tragic and sad movie. It shows exactly what war is. 😢😢😢 A good Joice of you both. Best greetings from Germany ❤❤
(@3:40) One of the soldiers in the wheelchair (with the mustache), who flinches when he hears the firecrackers, is Ron Kovic. He's the author of the book that the movie is based on. Tom Cruise played him in the movie.
Hey Asia hey B.J phenomenal movie very moving great Friday night movie 🔥 Just had to add you warm my heart with your compassion for the vets they all deserve better it is a shame for this country
I had a couple of friends who were in Viet Nam. I had to eventually end those friendships because if their PTSD and fear for my personal safety. PTSD is no joke and is very sad.
3:42 - the real Ron Kovic being pushed in a wheelchair, closest to the camera (mustache, green Marin uniform with the red sergeant patch on shoulder)
So glad you reacted to this movie. Tom Cruise's best acting performance - brilliant.
Guys, it is amazing that you are reacting to this movie...!
Such a good movie with a great message. The book is fantastic as well. God bless these guys
If I remember correctly, the Vietnam Vets are the ONLY veterans treated this way. Americans realized their mistake, mistreating them and have treated all vetrans since then better. My feeling is, if you see a Vietnam Vet, thank them for the service and SACRIFICE as they were not treated like heroes. I live in Toledo, OH, every 6 months, or so, our area has an Honor Flight that takes Veterans to Washington D.C. to visit the war memorials. When the Veterans routine later that same day, there are hundrrds of folks cheering for them when they get off the airplane. The Vietnam Vets FINALLY get their DESERVED heroes welcome home. They ALL say how therapeutic that is. God BLESS ALL our Veterans!!!
That is return home the same day...my post is getting 'auto corrected.' By the way, it was president Nixon that pulled us out of the Vietnam war. Kennedy got us in, Johnson escalated it and Nixon, after the Kent State riots, got us out. Another movie, based on a true life story, is The Killing Fields. It's about the Horrible life conditions in Cambodia after the US pulled out. It's intense..but Great at the end of the movie...
This was the movie that made me have respect for Tom. Before this he was not seen as such a serious actor
Top gun
That Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, and John McGinley are are in this is a sign that you need to react to Platoon. That's the penultimate Vietnam movie.
I'm glad that you guys are hitting this one. It's a very important movie.
I forgot to mention the musical score...outstanding!🎶🎵💓
This one and "Interview with the Vampire" are my two favorite Tom Cruise movies.
As a sailor off the coast of Vietnam we played anti war songs on the ships radio station. There were speakers thru out the ship. Im sure our captain heard it. We didnt complain just did our job in support of the Marines.
I'm so glad to see the two of you getting filled in on the underbelly of the war and the narrative. I was 16 in 1967, and by 1969 I was facing -at a safe distance - the truth you're getting to stare at now. Profound sadness; profound grief; profound injustice. And nobody with a White Hat in sight...basically on either side. "Mostly say 'Hurray for our side"" ( Buffalo Springfield). Which you reacted to ("For What It's Worth").
I`ve always loved this movie...Tom Cruise put everything he had in this movie...Outstanding performance.
My brother served in the Army during the Vietnam War era. He got very lucky and didn't have to serve in Vietnam. Because his captain wanted him to stay to be his driver. Thank God. I was too young to understand anything except soldiers who went there were dying. My brother volunteered at 18 instead of waiting to be drafted. When he came home after basic training, my mom was so proud of his Service. But when he marched me and my 2 younger sisters around the front yard with the cadence of ...I don't know, but I've been told...Eskimo p**sy is mighty cold!...My mom came out immediately and said don't you blaspheme around these girls! We didn't know what it meant only that we were happy to March right behind him. Left, left ,left, right,left. One two three four, one two. ..three four!
I was not a Tom Cruise fan when I went to see this movie in my senior year of high school, but I’d read about Ron Kovic (this movie is based on his autobiography). To me, it still stands out as the best performance of TC’s career. He fought for this role hard and took a year to work with veterans to properly research the background. It was well worth the effort. Thanks for another amazing and honest reaction.❤❤❤❤