My wife and I watched this at home on DVD from our local library. In the extras commentary it is mentioned as a "sequel" to the 1973 "The last Detail" but the focus of the story was changed.
The setting is 2003, the Iraq war was raging and Saddam Hussein is being captured in his fox hole. Steve Carell is Larry 'Doc' Shepherd who as a teenager served in Vietnam 30 years earlier as a Navy medic. He just got news that his son, a Marine, was killed in Iraq and the body was being transported back to the States for burial at Arlington Cemetery.
Using an internet search, which was still in its relative infancy in 2003, he looks up his two best buddies from all those years ago. Bryan Cranston is Sal Nealon, owner of Sal's bar. Laurence Fishburne is Reverend Richard Mueller. Neither one is thrilled at first but eventually they agree to accompany Doc.
So the story really is more of a road trip with three old buddies often commenting on the current state of affairs, and various life lessons. Sal is the "agitator in chief" of the group but in the end lessons are learned and life put into a proper perspective.
The three were accompanied by J. Quinton Johnson as active soldier Washington, his TDY assignment. I don't know anything about the young actor but in a supporting role he is very good and seems authentic.
Good movie although a bit long. I found myself wishing it were about 20 to 30 minutes shorter.
The setting is 2003, the Iraq war was raging and Saddam Hussein is being captured in his fox hole. Steve Carell is Larry 'Doc' Shepherd who as a teenager served in Vietnam 30 years earlier as a Navy medic. He just got news that his son, a Marine, was killed in Iraq and the body was being transported back to the States for burial at Arlington Cemetery.
Using an internet search, which was still in its relative infancy in 2003, he looks up his two best buddies from all those years ago. Bryan Cranston is Sal Nealon, owner of Sal's bar. Laurence Fishburne is Reverend Richard Mueller. Neither one is thrilled at first but eventually they agree to accompany Doc.
So the story really is more of a road trip with three old buddies often commenting on the current state of affairs, and various life lessons. Sal is the "agitator in chief" of the group but in the end lessons are learned and life put into a proper perspective.
The three were accompanied by J. Quinton Johnson as active soldier Washington, his TDY assignment. I don't know anything about the young actor but in a supporting role he is very good and seems authentic.
Good movie although a bit long. I found myself wishing it were about 20 to 30 minutes shorter.