Featured Image Credit: Apple TV
Topics: Apple, US News, Zac Efron, TV and Film
Dominic Smithers
How far would you go to pick up some beers for the lads? The answer: probably not as far as Zac Efron does in his new movie. Have a look at the trailer:
The Greatest Beer Run Ever tells the incredible, and almost unbelievable, story of John "Chick" Donohue, who went to extreme lengths to hydrate his mates.
After a night out with some friends in New York in 1967, U.S. Marine Corps veteran Chick (Efron) packs his bags with a few beers and sets off on a journey to have a drink with his pals serving on the frontline in Vietnam.
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The synopsis says: "To show support for his neighbourhood friends serving in Vietnam, Chickie Donohue (Zac Efron) decides to do something totally outrageous: travel to the frontline by himself to bring the soldiers a little piece of home — their favourite can of American beer.
"However, what started as a well-meaning journey quickly turns into the adventure of a lifetime as Chickie confronts the reality of this controversial war and his reunions with his childhood buddies thrust him into the complexities and responsibilities of adulthood.
"Based on an incredible true story, The Greatest Beer Run Ever is a heartfelt coming-of-age tale about friendship, loyalty and sacrifice."
And if Efron wasn't enough of a draw for you, the long-awaited movie also stars Bill Murray and Russell Crowe.
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The movie is based on the 2017 book The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty, and War.
Director Peter Farrelly decided to take on the story after a friend of his sent him a short film about it, which was released back in 2015.
Speaking to Empire, the 65-year-old said: "I thought, 'Wow, this is an amazing story'.
"I immediately called my attorney — that’s my sister, Cindy – and said, 'Hey, let’s try to get the right to this'. She learned the rights were taken and they were over at Skydance and I said, 'Hook me up, I wanna talk to 'em about it'.
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"I sought it out and they had no script, they had no nothing, but they wanted to do the story so I just knew that’s what I wanted to do next."
As part of his research for the film, Farrelly actually got to speak with Chick and listen to his story.
"He’s 81 years old and is a spark plug," said the Dumb and Dumber director. "He’s got a better memory than me, I will tell you that. He could tell you every single place he’s been.
"He’ll talk about being in Saigon, which happened 55 years ago and he’ll say, 'Yeah, I was walking down whatever street and hung a right on blankety street and then I came to this intersection…' And I’ll say, 'How the hell do you remember all this?'
"He has a memory of all the names, he’s got an incredible memory about this thing. And he’s a lot of fun to be around, I love the guy."
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The Greatest Beer Run Ever will be available to watch on Apple TV from 30 September.