While horrific images and stories of the Vietnam War are being broadcast across the television sets of the United States, Chickie (Zac Efron) sits at the local bar, reminiscing about his friends fighting overseas.  Maybe it was just the beer talking, but the retired Colonel (Bill Murray) who tends the watering hole, inspired Chickie to send a message to the neighborhood heroes that they are not forgotten, and what better way to do that than to hand deliver some good old American beer.  Once he makes land, however, Chickie’s eyes begin to open to the senseless horror his friends are in the midst of while fighting in the war. 

Based on a true story, The Greatest Beer Run Ever was written and directed by Peter Farrelly with assistance on the page from Brian Hayes Currie and Pete Jones for release by Apple Studios.  After his lauded The Green Book (2018), Farrelly turned to television but returned to the big screen with a limited run of his, likewise, chummy, real-life story that uses its place in American history as the main framework to bring about a sense of how far we have come in our collective social understanding of topics like racism and war.  Like The Green Book, however, Beer Run is a very elementary interrogation of its thesis, settling for a nonchalant shrug as its main character slowly but surely learns that maybe his small-town worldview is not going to hold up in the rapidly expanding society around him. 

Efron occupies almost every scene of the 126-minute film that, despite its simplicity does not feel terribly overlong.  With a thick mustache and a puppy-dog stare, he is an easy enough entry point into the film, even though his demeanor is far too jovial; a chaste lead in a 1980s frat comedy.  The problem with the film is not its lack of sexuality, it would not add anything to the story, but tonally it is a mess without that basic recognition of maturity. It feels like an adventure story being told by a child.  Farrelly and his writing team struggle to give the script a clear and coherent voice as they walk right up to the line of some seriously heavy topics only to have Efron chuckle and toss a dumbfounded friend a warm beer.  Never is this tonal confusion more apparent than when he meets with Duggan (Jake Picking), requiring the young man to cross an active battlefield, dodging gunfire, for what plays out as little more than a prank of which Chickie is totally unaware of the real-world danger he placed his friends in with his stunt.  Chickie will eventually have his eyes opened when his hotel receives enemy fire and he is scrambling for his own life, but it is too little too late, and it does not help salve the damage done in the front half of the film. 

Much like the tone of the film, Beer Run also has a strange relationship with its patriotism. It is not as aggressive an example as Ambulance was earlier this year of blind patriotism, but the opening of the film makes it a distinct point to give the Colonel his soapbox about the virtues and honor of fighting in a war and it vilifies the protestors who are asking the government to bring their friends, families, and loved ones back home. Practically, it is here to set the stage for Chickie’s character growth and development as he learns that war is not as black and white as he once believed. It does not help that Murray seems totally confused in how to approach the role, but like The Green Book, Farrelly treats his modern audience like they are also stuck in the mindset of his characters so it makes for an uncomfortable film to sit through. Unlike the more recent works of another funnyman turned social moralist, Adam McKay, the smugness of Farrelly’s films is not condescending, but these works prove the most basic points of human decency and act like it is some bold statement. The simplest change of heart experienced by the main characters, be it that racism is bad or that the American military-industrial complex is just a propaganda machine draped in palatable red, white, and blue flag instead of the scary red and gold one, is seen as groundbreaking, border shattering, and profound. It is too simple to be taken seriously. 

The final act of the film finds Chickie running with Arthur Coates (Russell Crowe), a war photographer, as the two scramble through the ravaged town to try and escape with their lives. But here is where it gets interesting because when presented with a safe route, Arthur explains to Chickie that he is going to stay in Vietnam and continue reporting. There are other ways to serve than to be behind a gun, and there are other ways to support the troops by making sure the American people are informed of just how costly and senseless the war even is because if they can change the tide of opinion, it will force the leaders into action. This is the film’s main thesis, and it is practically glossed over and regulated to the final twenty or so minutes of the film, afraid to engage too seriously. Chickie’s lesson is learned, more so from his own being put in harm’s way than any real source, and like much of the film there are no consequences for Chickie’s reckless behavior so it is hard to believe that this lesson will stick once he is back on US Soil. The Colonel, for one, is proven to still be a bullheaded man and while it is unfair to the film to theorize the character’s actions after the credits role, Farrelly and his writing team do not write Chickie in a way that is indicative of being capable of any real change. The way the script builds on itself is such a simple one then two then three sort of way also contributes to this feeling of aimlessness which also contributes to the weak sense of actual, tangible growth around Chickie. Admitting you were wrong is one of the hardest things to do, and the script does not write Chickie in a way that he appears strong enough to do so once he is safe back home in New York with his friends and family. 

The Greatest Beer Run Ever is one of the most mediocre films of the year. Farrelly pulls from his comedic roots and generates a war-time dramedy with broad enough appeal to cater to the whole family – for whatever few families actually use Apple TV+ that is – with its toothless humor, wartime setting, and echos back to Efron’s days as a heartthrob, even though his hair and wardrobe keep him considerably more clothed than some of his previous work. To reiterate, capitalizing on the star’s sex appeal would not have helped this film in any way, but to cast Efron with such a purpose is a strange decision, and the role is far too simple for it to be a redefining role for the still-young actor who has already successfully graduated from the Disney Chanel. The result is a movie perfect for background noise at gatherings, one that can be checked in and out of at will and still know exactly what is going on with Chickie as he bounces his way around war-torn Vietnam with a duffel bag full of Pabst Blue Ribbon and this empty-headed idea that this stunt will somehow make a difference.