Military care packages are usually made up of useful items soldiers deployed overseas can use, such as sunblock, underwear, socks, and other personal supplies. The care packages are a way of letting the soldiers know that someone from home is thinking about them. In 1967, Chickie Donohue didn’t just send a care package to his buddies from his old neighborhood serving in Vietnam. Chickie traveled to the war-torn country personally to hand-deliver beer from their favorite NY bar. The story of his trip to Vietnam and the impact his up-close-and-personal experience with war had on his view of the conflict is told in Apple Original Films’ The Greatest Beer Run Ever.
The film starts with Chickie (Zac Efron), a Merchant Marine, drinking with some of his buddies at Doc Fiddler’s bar in Inwood, New York, when he gets the news that another young man from their block has been killed while serving in Vietnam. The next day, Chickie spots his sister participating in an anti-war protest and argues with her that she’s turning her back on all their friends over in Vietnam.
Later that day, Chickie receives word that his best friend has gone MIA.
Commisserating over beers at the bar, Doc (Bill Murray) – nicknamed The Colonel – says he wishes he could go to Vietnam and give all the boys over there beers. Chickie, upset and a little drunk, declares that’s exactly what he’s going to do. He’ll go to Vietnam, find his friends, and hand them beers.
Doc, excited at the prospect of letting the guys know they support them, gives Chickie a duffel bag and plenty of beers to take to the troops.
Chickie puts his rudimentary plan into action and obtains a job in the boiler room of a shipping vessel heading to Saigon. Once there, Chickie lies to the captain about delivering bad news from home to his brother and gets a 3-day leave. Off the ship, Chickie uses his natural, likable charm to make his way onto a base to disperse beer to his friend, Tommy Collins (Archie Renaux), and Tommy’s buddies. He’s obviously a civilian and because he’s dressed casually, some of the military brass mistake Chickie for “a tourist,” which is code for a CIA agent.
Chickie uses this innocent deception and misinterpretation to help him travel to unauthorized areas, including battlefields and hot zones.
During his travels, he comes across seasoned war correspondent Arthur Coates (Russell Crowe) who initially dismisses him as some well-meaning but dumb American. However, eventually, Coates becomes intrigued by Chickie’s mission and respects his determination. Chickie and Arthur strike up both a friendship/partnership as Arthur covers the horrors of the Vietnam War and helps Chickie dodge bullets and run from bombs as he continues his quest to deliver beer to his friends from home.
Directed by Peter Farrelly (Green Book), The Greatest Beer Run Ever is a heartfelt, inspiring, and surprisingly funny film that not only tells an incredible – almost unbelievable – story but captures the turning tide and split in America as people began to take sides both for and against the war. It’s a Vietnam War dramedy about friendship, loyalty, and the end of American innocence.
Zac Efron gives a fine performance as Chickie, a likable, good-hearted underachiever who truly just wants to show his friends in Vietnam that the neighborhood hasn’t forgotten them and still believes in their mission. Efron is convincing at showing the slow realization on Chickie’s part of what war really is, a realization that only comes after he experiences first-hand some of the true horrors his friends and the people of the country are going through.
Russell Crowe is perfectly cast as Arthur, the tough, grizzled war correspondent who takes a liking to Chickie and helps him during part of his quest. Arthur also remains by his side as Chickie struggles to get out of the war-torn country when the situation becomes dire and the odds of exiting the country grow worse. Crowe and Efron have solid chemistry and their brief friendship feels genuine.
The production and costumes perfectly reflect the decade and bring to life Vietnam in 1967 just before the Tet offensive. The soundtrack’s use of classic ’60s songs effectively enhances the mood and tone of certain scenes.
The only real issue with the film is its tone, which at times is a little uneven when switching between some of the more humorous scenes to the more serious and dangerous scenes. It’s not always a smooth transition.
Still, with strong performances, stellar production design and costumes, The Greatest Beer Run Ever is a crowd-pleasing, smile-inducing film that doesn’t glorify war but does deliver insight into what soldiers went through in Vietnam.
GRADE: B
MPAA Rating: R for language and some war violence
Running Time: 2 hours 6 minutes
Release Date: September 30, 2022 in theaters and streaming on Apple TV+
