In 2003, after his son is killed in the Iraq War, former Navy Corps medic Larry “Doc” Shepherd (Steve Carell) tracks down two Marine Corps buddies from the Vietnam War to help him bury his boy. Traveling from his New Hampshire home, Larry visits the bar run by Sal Nealon (Bryan Cranston), a rowdy alcoholic who doesn't recognize him after 30 years. The pair then find now-Reverend Richard Mueller (Laurence Fishburne), who is reluctant to leave his wife and congregation to join this unexpected road trip. While obnoxious Sal and prickly Richard squabble, Larry tries to cope with overwhelming grief. Eventually, the trio wind up in a hangar at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where they are confronted by an unctuous Colonel (Yul Vazquez). When Larry learns exactly how his son died in Baghdad, he refuses a burial at Arlington National Cemetery, preferring to inter him next to his mother in the Portsmouth graveyard. So the three men embark on a bittersweet ride up the East Coast, accompanied by a Marine escort (J. Quinton Johnson)—one of Larry's son's buddies. Along the way, they reminisce, reconcile their differences, and come to terms with the long-term effects of a war that continues to shape their lives. Based on Darryl Ponicsan's 2005 novel, director Richard Linklater's film is somber, sorrowful, and thought-provoking, even if the characters and premise are not quite convincing. A strong optional purchase. (S. Granger)
Last Flag Flying
Lionsgate, 125 min., R, DVD: $19.98, Blu-ray: $24.99, Jan. 30 Volume 33, Issue 2
Last Flag Flying
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