On THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER

"This ain't a war no more. It's mass murder."  So says Zac Efron as Chickie Donohue, a New York guy who winds up in Vietnam on a civilian mission. Back in New York, he was another young, working class Irish Catholic guy who didn't do much work. He was a likeable dude who lacked ambition. But he does love his country and feels that the Vietnam war is a righteous one. About a half dozen young men from his neighborhood lost their lives fighting in it. In THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER, based on a true story, he gets fueled by patriotic talk from the fellows at his local bar hangout and decides to proof his friendship and loyalty to a friend serving in Vietnam. He'll hand-deliver beer from home. While in Vietnam, he'll learn the real deal about the war from a weary journalist and get caught in some serious enemy fire. He starts to question America's involvement. I thought the film was fair, but I felt that Zac Efron was fabulous and lifted the material he was given. There's a nice turn from Russell Crowe as the war-weary correspondent. This is a tale of friendship, loyalty and war. Here's a trailer.

The real-life Chickie Donohue appeared with Efron in a CBS morning news show feature to talk about the book that inspired the movie. Efron, brawnier than we've seen him in other films, does some mighty fine work especially in the film's final scenes. But the screenplay is not as smooth and substantial in dealing with this "coming to awareness" story focusing on patriotism vs the Vietnam war as GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM or COMING HOME or even the film version of the Broadway rock musical, HAIR are.

THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER was directed and co-written by Peter Farrelly. He directed the male-driven comedies DUMB AND DUMBER, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY,  KINGPIN, STUCK ON YOU and HALL PASS. Then he went serious and directed GREEN BOOK, a male-driven race drama road trip that the Academy found prestigious. A bigoted working-class Italian American is hired to drive a celebrated Black classical pianist from New York to concert tour dates down South in the 1960s. This was based on a "true friendship" and won the Oscar for Best Picture of 2018. Nick Vallelonga took home Oscars for Producer and Best Original Screenplay. Farrelly took home Oscars in those same two categories.

GREEN BOOK had good performances. Mahershala Ali won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.  But it made me think "Does Peter Farrelly have any Black friends? Has he ever spent time in Black neighborhoods? Has he ever stayed overnight in the home of a Black friend?" Except for Mahershala Ali in GREEN BOOK, the only other Black character I can vividly recall in a Farrelly movie is the well-endowed naked brother who makes Owen Wilson's character feel inadequate in a HALL PASS workout club sauna scene. GREEN BOOK was sort of a paint-by-the-numbers, opposites attract race drama that you just knew would have a happy ending.

THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER feels like Peter Farrelly's attempt to make another seemingly prestigious film. However, Zac Efron is very good and he's helped by two excellent supporting players. His biceps.