disappointed

Rating: 5/10 (9 February 2018)

Larry 'Doc' Shepherd (Steve Carell) tracks down sarcastic bar owner Sal Nealon (Bryan Cranston). At first, Sal doesn't recognize Vietnam War acquaintance Doc. They go track down fellow vet Reverend Richard Mueller (Laurence Fishburne). Doc reveals that his marine son was killed in Iraq 2 days earlier and is set to be buried at Arlington Cemetery.
I am a big fan of Richard Linklater. He certainly has a tendency to lean towards some experimentation. I am most disappointed in the flat, extended nature of this movie. With these three great actors, I expected much much more and there is no reason to take two hours to get there. Nevertheless, these are great actors. It may have helped if some flashbacks of the Vietnam days be included. The movie has a rambling unfocused nature which is not helped by the simple filmmaking. I'm fine with Carell's quiet suffering but I wanted an explosion somewhere. Cranston tries his best to be irreverent. Fishburne is cool. I don't necessarily have any big problems but I want better.