The Greatest Beer Run Ever is the second feature film from Peter Farrelly after his split from his brother Bobby. Their past movies are Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin and There’s Something About Mary. As a solo director, Peter notably directed the best picture winner Green Book.
The biggest difference between this and his other movies is the tone. The Greatest Beer Run Ever takes on a more dramatic tone although comedy seeps through every so often. Unfortunately, the weird tonal decisions quickly become the biggest problem for the movie. The balance between the serious and the comedic isn’t balanced as well as it could be.
Furthermore, it takes real-life source material and changes some of the details for the purpose of entertainment.
The Greatest Beer Run Ever stars Zac Efron, Russell Crowe, Jake Picking, Kyle Allen and Archie Renaux, among others. Its screenplay is by Peter Farrelly, Brian Hayes Currie and Peter Jones. The movie is based on the novel Chick Donohue and J.T. Molly. The story revolves around a man lacking a sense of purpose. On a drunken whim, he decides to sneak into the battlegrounds of Vietnam to deliver beer to the soldiers fighting in the war.
The movie’s narrative revolves around this irrational and irresponsible decision. It uses the decision as the catalyst for the character’s arc. Furthermore, it also shows how society views the Vietnam war during that era. At its core, The Greatest Beer Run Ever presents a great story with a meaningful message. Sadly, I don’t think Farrelly always knew how to execute it properly.
It’s not going to make my best-of-the-year list, and it’ll be surprising if it has any presence at the Academy Awards. The true standout is Zac Efron. This film showcases the prominent direction of his career since his earlier days. He offers a compelling performance and he’s backed up quite well by the likes of Russell Crowe and Bill Murray.
Fortunately, the movie represents a certain type of blue ribbon dramedy we sadly don’t see much of in cinema anymore. It’s got an adventurous spirit and a passionate message but I just wish the overall presentation of the material was a little more effective.
