Review of Thank You for Your Service

I viewed this movie at the suggestion of a family member who had served in Afghanistan. I'm glad I did -- it is a wonderful movie of the struggles of the modern, professional soldier. There were no "impossible" scenes of war or family life. Nothing was fantastic or even out of the ordinary. This could have all played out in your home town. This is the story of three fellow soldiers, comrades-in-arms, after their return to civilian life. The acting was realistic. The women who played the wives were totally believable. Well, so were the guys. The scenes not preposterous – no crashing police cars, no hail of bullets from which the lead emerges unscathed. The audio was EXCELLENT (which is not true for any number of modern movies); The ordeals and anxieties of these vets kept the story line well within reason but perhaps a bit compressed. The Veterans Administration was painted in a horrid light – to be fair, the counselors were seen as helpful but the staff as uncaring. I want to believe the point was made that the problems with the VA are systemic and from lack of funding – hence the movie's title. The officer corps was condemned several times by buffoonery and indifference, not an uncommon theme in any movie dealing with the military. I believe it would have played better with more balance, one caring officer, for example. While heavy on coarse language, cursing, and graphic sexual profanity, it wasn't "over the top" for soldiers' "manguage." The very few sexual scenes were largely off camera. The "R" rating must come from the expletives and subject matter. I saw "Coming Home" soon after returning from Vietnam. That was an anti-war movie. This is not anti-war, but it is a political movie. This is a film about those veterans who are not supported by the psychological services of the VA. It impels the viewer to contact his elected officials to implore them to solve the problem.