[imagesource: Apple TV+]

When I say the word ‘Vietnam’ what comes to mind?

Jungles, napalm, soldiers returning to the US bearing the mental and physical scars of a foolish war, perhaps.

A guy sitting in the US who goes the other way and heads to Vietnam to bring his friends some beer? Less likely, and it sounds like the premise of a silly comedy rather than the true story of John “Chickie” Donohue.

The Greatest Beer Run Ever, which stars Zac Efron in the leading role, is based on the New York Times bestseller The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty, and War written by Donohue and Joanna Molloy.

Chickie, a 26-year-old with nothing better to do in 1967, found a strange calling, reports Collider:

Outraged by the sight of anti-war protesters, he decides to finally do something and bring the boys from the neighborhood all a beer. While all the guys at the bar love the idea, it’s seen as a reckless, stupid gesture, even if Chickie’s heart is in the right place.

Still, he goes through with it, finding an unlikely ally in photographer Arthur Coates (Russell Crowe) in the process as Coates wants to show people at home the horrors of war and the people caught up in it.

Chickie’s journey starts very simple as a way to give a “sudsy thank you card” to his friends, though it quickly becomes more complicated after he sees what’s happening.

Director Peter Farrelly first made his name in the business directing films like Dumb and Dumber alongside his brother Bobby but pivoted to slightly more serious features with Green Book.

Still, there are certainly moments of humour to the trailer:

Yes, that was Bill Murray, who plays The Colonel, the owner and barkeep of Chickie’s favourite watering hole.

Other leading roles are played by Jake Picking, Will Ropp, Archie Renaux, Kyle Allen, and Ruby Ashbourne Serkis, the daughter of Andy.

The Greatest Beer Run Ever will be in cinemas and on Apple TV+ from 30 September.

[source:collider]