Zac Efron stars in The Greatest Beer Run Ever, a film with an unlikely name but based on a true story. To discover on Apple TV+.
What is it about ?
In order to support her friends who have gone to fight in Vietnam, Chickie Donohue decides to go to the front on her own and bring the soldiers a souvenir from home: cans of their favorite beer. But soon, what began as a journey filled with good intentions becomes the adventure of a lifetime for Chickie, who faces the reality of this contentious war. His reunion with his childhood friends plunges him into the complexities and responsibilities of adult life. Adapted from an incredible true story, “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” is a coming-of-age tale of friendship, loyalty and sacrifice.
Better than a Fedex courier
Who’s crazy enough to cross an ocean and find themselves in the middle of a war to distribute beers to their friends? Chickie Donohue, a young American who went to Vietnam in 1967 and found himself in the middle of an armed conflict.
If it all started with a joke after a drunken evening, Donohue embarked on a dangerous adventure from which he will come back in one piece, but transfigured. It was actor Zac Efron who was chosen to play the main role: “Strangely, I identified with him and his extraordinary journey. This devoted behavior for his friends totally speaks to me.“
If The Greatest Beer Run Ever is directed by Peter Farrelly, a regular in comedy to whom we owe in particular Dumb and Dumber, Mary at any price or even Extra-large love, and the reading of the synopsis ready to smile, it’s not about comedy. Far from there. The feature film immerses us in an armed conflict, and wants to show us the sacrifices suffered by young people in the name of politics.
To make it as authentic as possible, part of the film was shot in Thailand. A tough shoot for the whole team, as the director tells us: “In fact, the real difficulty was shooting in the jungle with more than 40 degrees of temperature, with 100% humidity and mud everywhere.”. What its main actor confirms:
“On the other hand, I couldn’t know what we were going to have to face by going to shoot in Thailand. As Peter explained, it was quite a challenge. It’s like we’re living for real the movie of DiCaprio – the Revenant – or as if we were again in the middle of the Vietnam War.”
On the distribution side The Greatest Beer Run Ever can count in its ranks Bill Murray, Russell Crowe, Kyle Allen or Archie Renaux. A nice cast to be found on Apple TV+.
Interview conducted as part of the Toronto Film Festival (TIFF).