The Greatest Beer Run Ever

Further proof that Farrelly did better, more charming work when he ballasted his soft side with raunch.

Though the messaging is a bit flat-footed, it’s nonetheless effective and clearly deeply felt, and it brings a sense of significance to this otherwise wacky real-life story, one that really does have to be seen to be believed.



[A] crass and manipulative warsploitation picture.

It doesn’t fully work, but it’s not a crime against humanity. And Efron carries the whole thing ably on his shoulders.

While well-intentioned, [it] just feels forced.

It fills in the gaps with hackneyed lessons in "war is bad"-ism, along with Chickie's slow awakening that — newsflash! — maybe Vietnam wasn't being fought for the right reasons...

In its two-hour runtime, the drama makes you chuckle and cry in equal measure, and all credits go to the writers for the characterisation of the protagonist, and to Zac Efron and Russell Crowe’s performances.

Never mind that the Pabst Blue Ribbon Chickie carries throughout The Greatest Beer Run Ever has got to be the warmest in history. It symbolizes the character’s resolve and pride in what he believes is a nice gesture of goodwill.

Farrelly's screenplays present characters as surface-level and Efron doesn't have the dramatic range to try and create a character out of an archetype.

It’ll get you acquainted with a guy who didn’t think impossible was a thing. It’s a detached joy to watch a movie where a character does something you would never dare do, and later find out that it really happened.