Zac Efron and Peter Farrelly (“I’ll take care of the beer”): “The Second World War was necessary”

Aside from World War II, the Vietnam War is one of the most represented in the entire history of cinema. The war in the Asian country has always had an impact on pop culture and the silver screen. Hundreds of stories have already been told about what happened. But Peter Farrelly, the Oscar-winning director and screenwriter of ‘Green Book’, found a fresh and original approach. It’s ‘I’m Taking Care of Beer’, an adaptation of the true story collected in the book ‘Biggest Beer Rush Ever’. Played by Zac Efron, the film follows a young man named Chickie who is devastated to see how his friends give their lives in Vietnam as antiwar movements arise in the United States. To support them, he decides to go to the countryside, enter the battlefield and simply bring them a few beers.

“It was all in the script and the story itself. With that I could imagine how Chickie felt.”Efron comments, “Peter was the ideal guy to guide me on this exciting journey”. On his journey, the protagonist travels halfway through Vietnam trying to avoid being kidnapped by the Vietcong, or even by the Americans themselves. And it is that, in her hilarious adventure with the backpack loaded with beer, Chickie discovers that war is not what she imagined it would be.

For this reason, despite being a comedy, ‘I deal with beer’ always tries to walk on safe ground so as not to overdo it. “Humor is one of the most important things”Efron reflects. “but you have to be careful how you do it”. That’s why he liked Farrelly’s approach to the film. “No matter how or where you are, or how difficult it is, there is always something to laugh about”adds the actor.

Wars necessary?

One of the lessons learned from “I’ll Take Care of the Beer” is that, as has been discussed in so many films so far, the Vietnam War was completely unnecessary. And the film opens at a time when Europe is, in fact, shaken by another conflict. “The war in Ukraine is very similar to the war in Vietnam, a meaningless war that did no good to anyone”Farrelly exposes. “I hope people understand that it is very rare for war to be a necessity”he observes, giving the only example that came to mind: “The Second World War, necessary. There aren’t many more. And obviously neither Vietnam nor Ukraine are.”.

‘I’ll take care of the beer’ It can now be seen on Apple TV +.