‘The Greatest Beer Run Ever’ streams on Apple TV+

Category: Television and Streaming

 

Zac Efron stars in The Greatest Beer Run Ever, a whacky tale based on a true story. The film takes place in 1967 at the height of the Vietnam War when Americans began turning on their government and protesting to end the war. With body bags being shown nightly on TV, LBJ began losing the support of the country. But there were still those who believed wholeheartedly in what the country was doing and in stopping communism in the region.

If you want a strange story, this is it. John “Chickie” Donohue (Efron) and his pals in New Your City were gung-ho Americans and supported the troops. Chickie was on a break from the Merchant Marines and spend his days drinking beer and sleeping. Then when he began hearing about his friends from the neighborhood being sent to fight, he came up with a brilliant idea. He would travel to Vietnam and hand-deliver beers to them along with encouragement from the neighborhood.

Chickie had no idea what he was in for. He was completely naïve and simply thought he would take a job on a merchant marine ship, get off in Vietnam, and hunt down his friends to have a friendly chat over a can of beer. Believe it or not, his stupidity and naivety actually helped him in this endeavor.

When Chickie met up with his childhood friends, they were in the heat of battle and thought he was out of his mind. While dodging bullets and MPs, Chickie managed to deliver his Pabst Blue Ribbons (plenty of product placement in this film) to several of his buddies.

When he met up with a group of foreign correspondents (Russell Crowe is one), Chickie could not believe they were not reporting on the bravery of the soldiers but instead dwelling on the horrors of the war. His sole mission, besides doling out the beer, was to raise the spirits of the soldiers and he firmly thought that was what the journalists should be doing too.

This was a rather far-fetched idea but Chickie actually managed to pull it off, and in the meantime learn a thing or two about the realities of war while maintaining some of his naivety.

The Greatest Beer Run Ever is an interesting film and worth checking out. It is streaming on Apple TV+. The movie is rated R for language and some war violence.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.

 

Courtesy photos.