Apple TV's new movie The Greatest Beer Run Ever is a wild story that seems almost too ridiculous until the audience realizes that it really happened. Zac Efron plays Chickie, a young man who decides to deliver beer to all of his neighborhood friends fighting in the Vietnam War.
Despite being such a unique story, there are some ways in which it reminds the viewer of other movies. From its humor to its perspective on the war to its likable yet buffoonish main character, The Greatest Beer Run shares similarities to other movies that fans can check out next.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Chickie is a fun and charming character who carries the movie. Though his views on the war are ignorant at the beginning and his plan for "helping out" is dangerously stupid, there is something endearing about following his friends into war just because he cares about them.
In some ways, Chickie is like a dumber version of Steve Rogers in Captain America: The First Avenger. The hero's first solo movie also introduced the MCU's best friendship between Steve and Bucky as Steve risks his life, following his best friend into World War II.
Green Book (2018)
Given the kind of comedies Peter Farrelly was making before, including Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary, it is quite surprising that he has made the shift to some more dramatic stories like The Greatest Beer Run Ever.
The same goes for Farrelly's previous Best Picture winner Green Book. Another intriguing true story, it follows a white man who chauffeurs a Black musician on a tour of the American South in 1962. Both movies have a similarly light-hearted, humorous, and some might say simple approach to complex moments in American history.
Platoon (1986)
The Greatest Beer Run might take place in Vietnam, but it certainly handles the war with a much lighter tone than many other war movies. However, there is still a message at the center of the story as Chickie goes from blind patriotic support of the war to questioning its purpose.
Though Platoon is a much more intense and brutal depiction of the war, its main character shares a similar journey. Charlie Sheen plays a young man who volunteers to fight only to quickly discover the horrors of war. Platoon is among the highest-grossing war movies and is regarded as one of the most realistic entries in the genre.
In The Valley Of Elah (2007)
The perspective of Chickie in the movie is quite interesting as he begins as a man who supports the war because he thinks that's what it is to be a patriot. In some ways, the movie seems to be sharing that view of the war until Chickie sees the truth and realizes that things are more complex than he realized and fighting in a war just to fight isn't necessary.
In the Valley of Elah is an overlooked movie with a terrific leading performance from Tommy Lee Jones. He plays a former military man who is staunchly supportive of the war only for the loss of his son to cause him to view things differently.
Tigerland (2000)
As dumb as Chickie's actions are and as much as his friends tell him as much, the story of friendship in the midst of all the ugliness is compelling. It is not often a war story is just about a man looking to help out his friends however he can.
One of Colin Farrell's first leading roles is in the Vietnam drama Tigerland. He plays a young rebellious soldier going through basic training who develops a skill for finding loopholes to get his comrades out of fighting duty.
Tropic Thunder (2008)
There is a lot of drama and tragedy to be explored in The Greatest Beer Run, but it also really leans into the comedy of the story. A lot of the funniest parts come from Chickie's total obliviousness to the danger and seriousness of the situation he is in.
Tropic Thunder is filled with movie references and is more of a Hollywood satire, but it also has a lot of fun with characters being totally out of place in a war-like scenario. It follows a group of high-maintenance actors shooting a war movie who find themselves in real danger.
Three Kings (1999)
The movie finds a fun balance of telling a story about a wild war mission while also commenting on the real-life aspects of the war itself. It makes for a thrilling ride that finds entertaining ways to deliver that kind of commentary.
Three Kings is another movie that manages to pull off this tricky approach. George Clooney, Ice Cube, and Mark Wahlberg star as soldiers during the Gulf War who go on a mission to steal Saddam Hussein's stash of gold.
Forrest Gump (1994)
Every once in a while there is a character in a movie whose obliviousness to the world around him is so entertaining that it is hard not to cheer for them. That is certainly the case with Chickie as he bumbles his way through various dangerous conflicts without any idea of what's going on.
Forrest Gump features another protagonist like this although a more innocent one than Chickie. His experiences throughout American history, including Vietnam, are very entertaining and it makes for one of the most inspiring movies of all time.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)
Though Zac Efron is in every scene of the movie as Chickie, he is also joined by Russell Crowe in a supporting role as a war journalist. It makes for an interesting comparison to Chickie as they are both people who don't need to be in the dangers of war but both think it is important that they are there.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is another movie that manages to mix humor with the intensity of war. The movie is based on the real-life experiences of Kim Barker, a wartime correspondent during the Afghanistan war. Tina Fey takes on the role which deals with the wild, chaotic, and sometimes funny job.
Good Morning Vietnam (1987)
Finding humor in the midst of the horrors of the Vietnam War is not easy, but it is something The Greatest Beer Run pulls off. However, the movie also understands that to tackle a subject like this, a movie must also touch upon those uncomfortable aspects of the war.
Good Morning Vietnam is another loose adaptation of a true story set in the Vietnam War. Robin Williams plays a military radio DJ who uses his platform to support his comrades while also questioning those in power.