The Greatest Beer Run Ever (2022)

OK Vietnam Comedy/Drama - The Greatest Beer Run Ever review by GI

A Vietnam based comedy drama that struggles to balance the humour with the seriousness of the subject matter. Based on a true story of beer swilling New York wastrel Chick (Zac Efron) who gets annoyed at the TV reports that show American troops in a bad light and is even more angry when his sister joins an anti war protest group. It's 1967 and several of Chick's buddies are serving in Vietnam with one missing in action. Whilst drunk he decides to visit them and take them some local beers and bizarrely finds it quite easy to do so. Travelling on a cargo boat he surprisingly finds his friends quickly and on the journey has his eyes opened to the realities of war. Including the lies told by the American authorities to the public as to what is really happening. The humour comes when he's assumed to be a CIA operative and basically assisted along his path as a consequence although he eventually witnesses a real CIA man doing some questionable things and ends up briefly on the run. It's this strange concoction of humour and then sudden nastiness that jars somewhat. Efron gives a committed and solid performance assisted by Bill Murray as the WW2 veteran bar owner back home and Russell Crowe as a war journalist. Crowe is somewhat wasted here as he offers some wisdom on war and takes Chick under his wing in Saigon but basically just waddles around taking pictures. The film has some pacing issues and is a bit overlong. It's interesting in parts but it's an American story that tries to make a hero out of a bit of an idiot.