Peter Farrelly

The Greatest Beer Run Ever could have been just another bromance or a boy-farce, like The Hangover. It is more than either sub-genre, much more — maybe because it’s based on a real story, as farcical as that is. The film is well realized. John Donohue, called “Chick,” made his beer run to Vietnam in 1967. He had been in the military earlier, stationed in his home state of Massachusetts.

It’s 1967, the Vietnam War is raging and so are opinions on America’s participation in the fight. Zac Efron is John “Chickie” Donahue. A guy in flux who needs to do something that makes a difference. He decides to give his buddies in combat a taste of home, but he ends up getting a big gulp of the battle instead.

While America’s involvement in the Vietnam War remains controversial, films like The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now and Ken Burns’ documentary, have reflected on the conflict’s psychological aspects. So The Greatest Beer Run Ever is a refreshingly entertaining comedic drama, focusing on a crowd-pleasing, behind-the-scenes glimpse of a globe-spanning beer run.