A double shot and a chaser …
As the remnants of Hurricane Ian continue to swirl toward the Carolinas, one escape from the inevitable rain and wind might just be a trip to the movie theater (or a click on the screening service).
It’s an interesting opening weekend for a couple of films centered, more or less, on alcoholic beverages, while yet another movie is one fans have been waiting for 30 years to see.
The first of this trio is, honestly, an unexpected pleasure with an unlikely title. The Greatest Beer Run Ever sounds like it might be an Adam Sandler-style frat boy bash, but, in truth, it turns out to be a surprisingly poignant, very well-acted telling of a fact-based story nobody ever heard of until now.
Back during the Vietnam war, John ‘Chickie’ Donohue decided he had enough of all the war protesting and, starting with a bar challenge, kind of backed himself into a corner with a promise that he was going to go to Vietnam and take some beers to his New York buddies to show his support for their sacrifices.
As crazy as that sounds, Chickie pulled it off and, along the way, got a first-hand look at why those protesters were so riled up and the soldiers doing battle were often, honestly, dazed and confused while dodging bullets and napalm.
Zac Efron gives the performance of his career as Chickie Donohue, and everybody around him, including the likes of Bill Murray as the New York bar owner and Russell Crowe as a disenchanted war correspondent, do pretty doggone well themselves.
Trust me, The Greatest Beer Run Ever is well worth your time. It’s very capably directed by Peter Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber, Shallow Hal) based on the John Donohue-Joanna Molloy book of the same title.
It opens in theaters and on the Apple TV+ streaming service. Rated ‘R’ for obvious reasons, it’s more for grownups than kids.
The second film of the weekend’s ‘double shot’ (apologies to the Swingin’ Medallions) features the pairing of two of this generations great actors as Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline carry us through the trials and tribulations of New England life and alcoholism.
Grim as that sounds, there’s still plenty of room for a little comedy and a lot of drama as we’re given a ringside seat to the life of seemingly successful real estate broker Hildy Good (Weaver) in a north Boston seaside village filled with all types of personalities, including Hildy’s one-time sweetheart Frank (Kline) and ex-husband David (who left her for a man).
On the outside, Hildy seems to have it made. But her life’s a whole lot different behind the curtain, tossed about by her drinking problem that she refuses to believe she has.
The film is based on Ann Leary’s best-selling novel of the same title and is, honestly, well worth watching just to see Weaver and Kline in fine form.
It, too, is rated R and pretty much for grownups.
And wrapping up the weekend’s trio of releases is none other than Hocus Pocus 2, the sequel to a 1993 Halloween romp that has inspired children and grownups alike to wear the costumes of the Sanderson sisters for the past 29 years.
The offbeat comedy takes us through the resurrection of the Salem (yes, that Salem) witches who are accidentally revived by some kids in the woods.
Winifred, Mary and Sarah (Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker) “run amok, amok, amok” right out of the gate, though in 21st-century Salem they have to make some adjustments, like Mary zooming about on a couple of Roombas rather than a broom.
The film’s full of all kinds of expected shenanigans and, in all honesty, if you’re not familiar with the original movie you’ll probably quickly find it an acquired taste, so to speak.
Still, those who love the sisters won’t be disappointed - except that Disney, in another questionable corporate decision, isn’t showing it in theaters but instead on the Disney+ screening loop.
At least it’s a Halloween movie that pretty much anyone can see, which is a plus these days.
So stay indoors and be entertained this weekend (and pray that the power stays on)!