Thank You for Your Service (2017)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Many of the negative reviews for this film were clearly written by people who expected a war movie, which this most certainly is not. What it is, however, is a mostly unfiltered peek into the emotional battle returning combat veterans continue to wage for years or even decades following their tours. Having served 3 tours of combat, I feel I can at least bring some relative perspective to the film. From a technical perspective some of the dialogue was contrived, some lines forced and awkward, and it plays into a few stereotypes I felt were gimmicky. Specifically the portrayal of the 2 officers who seemed almost oblivious and even cartoonish. In real life, despite the popular jokes of the enlisted force, officers care deeply for the well-being of their troops and are generally attuned to at least their basic needs. But beyond the minor technical weaknesses, the story itself was extremely moving. There were myriad nuances and subtleties that may have escaped the notice of non-veterans or may not have had the same impact, but those little bits are what made the movie for me. I watched the movie on a cross-country flight so not the best environment but I found myself choked up during certain scenes that, had I had a little more privacy, would have devolved into a much more dramatic show of emotion because the movie expressed things I have been unable to myself. I don't have PTSD, but when I watched the movie the pain of my memories was brought sharply into focus and I connected with the characters in a way less common in other films. I think the film did exactly what it was intended to do. Not entertain, but incite. Incite anger at a system that sends men & women into intolerable situations then fails to provide adequate support when they come home broken. Incite sympathy for the hundreds of thousands left unsupported including their families. And shine a light on a problem that will affect American society for decades if not properly addressed.

This was a really powerful movie to watch and it has a lasting impact on the viewer. The acting and story and directing are all really well done and it really shows the tragedy of after-effects of the war. I give 'Thank You for Your Service' a 8/10

In the bonus segment of the DVD of "Thank You for Your Service," writer-director Jason Hall described the movie as a "Coming Home film," referring to the outstanding Vietnam War film about marginalized veterans. In a similar vein, actor Miles Teller, who plays the lead role of Sergeant Adam Schumann, indicated that the objective was to "show a side of war that has not been shown."The film was most successful in exposing how the veterans' return from battle in Iraq was the exact opposite of a homecoming. When Schumann and his buddy Tausolo Aieti show up at the Veterans Affairs building outside of Fort Riley, they are desperate for medical assistance and psychological counseling. But they are waiting in a lobby with hundreds of other vets. Ultimately, they are told that they are "hundreds of thousands" of suffering veterans ahead of them who are also seeking help.The film may become overly melodramatic with the repetitive story of the ghost of Doster, the man who died after taking Schumann's place on a patrol after a devastating attack in Building 20 in Rustamiyah, Iraq in 2007. Schumann, Aieti, and Michael Emory, who required brain surgery after Schumann dropped him while carrying the wounded soldier out of a building, are never the same after this devastating sequence of events. One of the strongest subplots in the film is the depiction of the family lives of the vets and how the wives, Saskia Schumann, Alea Aieti, and the widow of James Doster, suffer along with the men. A subtle critique of the top brass at the military is leveled at one of the officers, who fails to recognize the toll taken on the soldiers on the ground. Schumann and Aieti agree that the officer "fought his war at a computer.The most ironic line in the film is Aieti's assertion on multiple occasions that "army saved my life." At first glance, the army provided an identity to Aieti and a comaraderie with his buddies. But what is it all worth, if the army also takes away one's life, even if the veteran seemingly makes it home in one piece?

Seeing Amy Schumer starring I had to restrict myself from immediately giving it a perfect score of one. Thankfully, I gave it a try. Thank You for Your Service seeks to put on screen difficulties veterans face upon return from war zone and in my opinion that was done pretty solid.You don't get to see military combat too much - only several minutes are given to war footage. Instead, entire focus has been placed on common, everyday struggle young veterans face. I'm not from USA, but TYFYS certainly criticizes the way American society treats veterans. The thing I feared the most before seeing it was that it's going to be too pathetic in a way only Americans can make it. Luckily (or strangely), it didn't feel that way at all. This movie is ultimately the story about forgiveness: here you can see how hard can it be to forgive, how devastating effect not being able to forgive can have and how life changing forgiveness can be. If you're in a mood for a war-drama with almost entire emphasis on drama, TYFYS may stay with you for a while.P.S. Bruce Springsteen has made a track called "Military Cadence" they used as a credit song. Be sure to check it out.