Name: The Greatest Beer Run Ever
Director: Peter Farrelly
Released: 2022-09-30T09:00:00

In the Greatest Beer Run Ever, Chickie Donohue goes on a ridiculous mission to Vietnam to track down his neighbourhood friends and hand them a beer and some hope. The film is now streaming on Apple TV+.

Story

Chickie Donohue is a sailor for the Merchant Navy who is on vacation and just generally coasting through life. His friends and family consider him a good-for-nothing guy who’s going nowhere in his life.

When the topic of the Vietnam war and all their young friends fighting there comes up, there are varying opinions and Chickie is of the mindset that the Americans are fighting for the right reasons.

He comes up with a plan to go to Vietnam and find his friends so that he can remind them that there are people back home that still support and care for them. He also wants to prove that he’s of some worth and can accomplish something in life.

Once he gets there, however, he gets the see the true nature of the war and how the opinions of the people in the thick of it. This makes him question everything he believes and opens up his mind to a much wider mindset.

Performances

Zac Efron is the star of the film and he delivers a good performance as the well-meaning yet clumsy Chickie Donohue. He showcases his range throughout as he’s often a joker to be laughed at while also displaying a more serious performance whenever he comes across the fatality of the war.

There’s a smattering of supporting performances like Russel Crowe and Bill Murray as well as the many friends that Chickie meets in Vietnam. They all help elevate the narrative as a whole by giving Chickie a different perspective on the war.

Positives

The film manages to maintain the right balance between comedy and drama and handles the transition quite well. While Chickie does have his funny moments, they never push it too far or take things too lightly.

There are one or two moments that are an amalgamation of wonderful filmmaking. When Chickie runs into a small Vietnamese girl and when he sees the body of the Vietnamese officer he made friends with.

Both moments choose to have a score playing in the background and let the audience focus on the pure emotion displayed by Efron.

Having so many different perspectives toward the war is indicative of the public sentiment during those times and it gives younger audiences a better idea of how things were back then.

Negatives

The film doesn’t push the envelope or dare to show off the worst of the worst when it comes to Vietnam. While Chickie does witness some horrible things and everyone talks about how bad it is, they never quite have the major impact you’d hope for.

Verdict

The Greatest Beer Run Ever is a great film about a tumultuous time in American history when the people were divided in their opinions while their faith in the government was either non-existent or feverishly undeserved.

Zac Efron shines in a role that lets him flex his acting chops and has the audience marvel at his abilities as an actor given some of his past questionable projects. Despite the 2-hour runtime, this film is an enjoyable experience, even if its message is subdued at times.