The Greatest Beer Run Ever Review

With an awful accent strapped to a fake moustache, Zac Efron once again tries to convince audiences he can partake in serious roles. The Greatest Beer Run Ever may be a comedy at heart but it gives the High School Musical star a chance, once again, to spread his dramatic abilities. It is the title that gives off the dad-oriented feel for The Greatest Beer Run Ever. That inclusion of “ever”. But that is the English Language A-Level kicking in. The three years spent longing for a great beer run of our own. For John Donohue, that meant a daring and adrenalin-fuelled rush through to the war in Vietnam to deliver some beers.

Odd, since American drinking sessions last no time at all. But the bull-headed nature of The Greatest Beer Run Ever swats away any sense of shyness as it doubles down on its light comedy moments. Despite the stacked cast, despite the firm hands on the camera, it all feels a little empty. That is the Peter Farrelly way. Farrelly’s comedic shtick has not aged since Dumb and Dumber. The world has moved on, but The Greatest Beer Run Ever has not, stuck in its muddled and unkempt ways of prying at the emotional damage leftover by the Vietnam War. An empty trip sees Efron wander around dragging bags with him, popping along to various fancy-looking bars, presumably to cement the fact that his character is based solely on a love for country and beer.

At least Russell Crowe is on hand to rescue The Greatest Beer Run Ever from complete depravity. His recent resurgence has been a gift, even if his features have not been particularly strong. His individuality and renaissance, driving toward and against typecasting, is exciting. That is as much as The Greatest Beer Run Ever can manage, though, even with its toes in the water of reality. Unbearably slow and relying on tensions and intensities brought out of almost nowhere, Farrelly fails to add action and depth to a collection of generic soldiers and a wild mission to deliver beer where it is so desperately needed. CIA trappings, beer runs and a bit of fun in the Vietnam sun mark The Greatest Beer Run Ever as exactly what it is, a muddled piece relying on performances stretched to their very limit.

Aside from Arthur (Crowe) and a quick bit of action for Bill Murray, The Greatest Beer Run Ever is an uncoordinated and excruciatingly slow piece. Its humorous moments are light, and lighter still is the intensity and pacing. Efron feels out of touch with this role, the American hero embodied as a man with a moustache and little more than that. Farrelly’s charms have wilted. His direction is not that strong. Basic shot choreography is important for comedy because it allows for a focus on the humour at the heart. But when that heart is stone and the comedy is barren, the focus moves not from the comedy but to the lack of it and the lack of workable jokes. Incredible, especially considering Donohue embarked on this beer run as an anti-war protest. It never feels that way for this scrubbed comedy, which parades red, white and blue as a completely twisted, almost disturbing misrepresentation of Donohue’s plan to protest, represented as nothing more here than a boost of morale for those on the front.