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Skydance Media
Not part of a collection.
Friendship has no last call.
Chickie wants to support his friends fighting in Vietnam, so he does something wild—personally bring them American beer. What starts as a well-meaning journey quickly changes Chickie's life and perspective.
Chandler Danier
Dec 27, 2023 · via TMDB
Unfortunately not funny. Good war footage and engaging fish-out-of-water scenes. Crowe stuff is great. Kind of like Forrest Gump.
Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots
Apr 23, 2023 · via TMDB
**By: Louisa Moore / www.ScreenZealots.com** What bugs me the most about “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” is director Peter Farrelly’s indecisiveness. He can’t seem to pick a tone and stick with it. The first part is filled with lighthearted moments that make it seem like the film is a tailor-made crowd-pleasing movie. The last half of the film (and the strongest) is firm in its anti-war messaging. Farrelly tries to be too many things to too many people, and the result is a film that feels at odds with itself. Set in 1967, the film tells the true story of Chickie Donohue (Zac Efron), a man who wants to do something special to show his support for his neighborhood friends serving in Vietnam. He gets the outrageous idea to hand-deliver cans of beer to them on the front lines so they can have a little taste of home, and to show them that somebody back in New York still cares. When the locals start to encourage (and count on) Chickie to complete his mission, the man sets off for the jungles of Vietnam with a rucksack full of Pabst Blue Ribbon. It’s a terrific story that should make a great film. The problem is that there isn’t much to the movie other than the premise. Some of the situations Chickie finds himself in are ridiculous, and there’s no complexity to the story at all. It’s as straightforward as they come, in what I can only presume was a conscious effort by Farrelly to keep it easily accessible for mainstream audiences. The film briefly touches on the political and social impacts of the Vietnam War, including the division between Chickie’s family and friends. The film gets better once he heads back to Saigon and the story settles into its strong anti-war stance. It’s heavy-handed in its “war is hell” messaging, and it’s where the film gets away from its actors. Efron is fine as the film’s leading man, but the role requires a depth that seems to be a bit too much of a stretch for him at this point in his career. He’s talented, but is asked to do more than he’s comfortably capable. Bill Murray is a high point of the film, although he only makes a very brief appearance as the neighborhood barkeep. The best work comes from Russell Crowe as a photojournalist. There are some memorable scenes in “The Greatest Beer Run Ever,” but they will be soon forgotten under the weight of the film’s boilerplate script. Just because the movie is based on an interesting true story doesn’t automatically make it a winner.
CinemaSerf
Oct 8, 2022 · via TMDB
This tells the true story of Chickie Donohue (Zac Efron) who decided that he was fed up hearing the continuing reports of bad news from the Vietnam war, and so decided to travel to the war zone - as a civilian - and take the serving friends from his neighbourhood some beer! Using a combination of guile and brass neck, he is soon in situ, where he encounters the cynical journalist Arthur Coates (Russell Crowe) before embarking on his trek to deliver his beer. If it were not fact, it would really beggar belief this - the hand that serendipity plays in ensuring not just his safety, but the manner in which he blags his way around this tortured land, is sometimes just a little too difficult to believe. Efron is never going to be a good versatile actor, but to give him his due he delivers well enough here with a decent script and once we enter the final phase that involves more of a contribution from Crowe, the film picks up giving us some indication of just how perilous life was for those facing the Viet Cong's stealthy advance. It's not without it's humour and it illustrates amusingly just how afraid everyone was of falling foul of the CIA - a confusion which he was able to take advantage of on a regular basis! It's a tale of camaraderie in it's truest form, and though not really a cinema film, is at the better end of the Apple productions we have seen so far. It is half an hour too long - it takes way too long to get going, but once we are in Asia, it's a watchable enough drama.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Apple TV
Apple TV Amazon Channel
Zac Efron
John 'Chickie' Donohue
Russell Crowe
Arthur Coates
Kyle Allen
Bobby Pappas
Bill Murray
The Colonel
Jake Picking
Rick Duggan
Will Ropp
Kevin McLoone
Archie Renaux
Tom Collins
Ruby Ashbourne Serkis
Christine
Will Hochman
Tommy Minogue
Christopher Reed Brown
Noodle
Joe Adler
Red
MacGregor Arney
Brendan
Hal Cumpston
Leary
Kristin Carey
Mrs. Minogue
Paul Adelstein
Mr. Donohue
Matt Cook
Lt. Habershaw
Shirleyann Kaladjian
Mrs. Donohue
Bob Farrelly
Baby-Face
Branden Lindsay
Jimmy Burns
Thai-Hoa Le
Bartender Hien
Deanna Russo
Correspondent Woelfel
James Laver
Correspondent Lewis
Paul Sloan
CIA Agent
Alex Huynh
Prisoner
Kevin J. Flynn
Seafarers Union Clerk
Sean Gildea
Drake Captain Beauchene
Goya Robles
Almeida
Brian Jarvis
Major Breuer
Mike Hatton
Captain Dyer
Mike Gray
Lt. Fusco
Steve Sweeney
Lt. Commander Washburn
Jackie Flynn
Major Flynn
James Fahselt
Mason
Anabel Graetz
Nanny
Lisa Rothschiller
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Terry Mullany
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Apple Farrelly
Protester #1
Henry Mortensen
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Drake First Mate
Mav Kang
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Chananticha Chaipa
Little Girl
Pedro Correa
PFC William Sebast
Andrew J. Muscato
Long Binh Gate Guard
Dennis W. Hall
Mr. Minogue (uncredited)
Ron Smoorenburg
Soldier (uncredited)
Sean Porter
Director of Photography
Peter Farrelly
Director
Joe Russo
Associate Producer
Karen Duffy
Associate Producer
J.B. Rogers
Co-Producer
Oliver Ackermann
Line Producer
Andrew J. Muscato
Producer
Dana Goldberg
Producer
David Ellison
Producer
Don Granger
Producer
Kenneth Wilkinson
Sound
Andrew DeCristofaro
Supervising Sound Editor
Josh Simmonds
Visual Effects Supervisor
Brian Hayes Currie
Screenplay
Peter Farrelly
Screenplay
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Sep 23, 2022
Sep 29, 2022
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Seven Dorms of Death
2015
Preview
1982
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
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