Thank You for Your Service (2017) Reviews

• As real in the rear as it gets

  dmacws-013362017-10-18

  I took my mother to see this film so that she may understand through a movie what I could not share with her verbally but what she has witnessed physically with me. This is not a war movie but a film of what war does to you and how it affects you after you are no longer in physical war but your mind stays in mental war and no one understands ( EMPATHY) except those there with you. After 3 combat tours I identified with things that went over a lot of peoples heads but the movie moved me and Dream Works did a spot on job with what we with PTS go through and why its so hard to deal with and maybe if everyone saw this film they could see the inner turmoil a soldier, a marine, a airman, and a seaman goes through after experiencing physical and mental trauma. Thank You for your service hits on all aspects from the ptsd sufferer to the spouses and all around them. this is a must see to spread compassion to all who served.

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• Good film, great message, way too slow and dragged out to be a winner for me

  TheTopDawgCritic2018-01-20

  The acting, writing, directing and cinematography were all on point for this film but it fell short for me as its 1hr 49min length was way too long and made the film seem boring at times. Some scenes where pointlessly dragged out and should have been edited shorter. This film would of held my attention and still got the point across had it been cut down to 1:20. Not sure if the blame belongs to the director, editor or producers. Still a decent movie that sends a great message. 7/10 from me

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• A portrayal of the effects of war on today's soldiers.

  JohnTwist-12017-10-28

  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.

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• Really thankssss.............

  kashidomar2017-10-17

  A mixer of war, drama and pure adventure. The movie is a ballance equillibrium of all these aspects. The movie starts with the early war actions of military personnel in iraq. But they return after war and haunted by those memories.Those memories shattering their personal life, their dreams and emotions, their surroundings... This movie is a different genre movie..not a typical fast action or mysterious thriller movies...not an excellent dreamy sci-fi movie...rather it is a movie of true passion of life..A movie containing real life drama..real heart and mind...real flesh and blood..slow but steady.. Acting is superb.Most of the movie is full of nostalgic scenes of battlefield.They are true colour of life. Most members have acted well enough to visualize the full drama. Critics may have many opinions of their own. I don't know what they will say about the film. But i have enjoyed the movie very much.Now it's your turn.

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• Shining light on a shameful episode of American society: where is the help these veterans need and deserve?

  paul-allaer2017-10-28

  "Thank You For Your Service" (2017 release; 108 min.) brings the story of 3 guys returning home after serving in Iraq. As the movie opens, we are in "Rustamiyah, Iraq", where we are at the tail end of a mission gone horribly wrong. Shortly thereafter, the guys return home to Topeka, KS. Sergeant Schumann is awaited by his wife and 2 young kids, and he tries mightily to fit in. His other mates similarly encounter issues, and all grow restless and desperate. At this point we're less than 15 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out. Couple of comments: this is the directing debut of screen writer Jason Hall, working from David Finkel's non-fiction book of the same name. The movie shines a light on a shameful episode of American society: in the last 15 years, we have send hundreds of thousands of young (mostly) men and (some) women to the Middle East, and when they return home, many of them struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, only to find that much needed help is mostly not available. The movie perfectly captures that is the administrative madness of the Department of Veterans Administration. The VA's shortcomings have been known for YEARS, yet seemingly nothing is being done about it. Meanwhile these veterans suffer (and worse). Miles Teller as Sergeant Schumann is outstanding (by coincidence, this is the second weekend in a row where Teller stars as a true hero--just last weekend I saw him in "Only the Brave"), as is (for me newcomer) Beulah Koale as the troubled Solo, and Haley Bennett as Schumann's loyal wife. But perhaps the most remarkable performance comes from Amy Schumer as the widow of of of the perished soldiers, MILES away from her usual comedy roles. CAUTION about the movie's trailer: is is completely misleading, as it makes it look very much "American Sniper" like, when in fact only about 10 min. of "Thank You For Your Service" plays out in Iraq (in that sense, the movie is similar in tone to the late 70s Vietnam war movie "Coming Home"). Also this: in recent weeks, there was separately a very prominent trailer in the theaters where Shania Twain presents (and plays) her song "Soldier" as being from this movie. Guess what: that song is NOT in the movie AT ALL, not even just a few seconds. Shamefully misleading again. (Instead, there is a powerful new Bruce Springsteen song, "Freedom Cadence", that plays over the movie's end titles). "Thank You For Your Service" opened wide this weekend. The Friday evening screening where I saw this at here in Cincinnati was attended okay but the small theater was by no means close to a sell-out. No matter. "Thank You For Your Service" is one of those all-too-rare movies that is actually a good movie, while also bringing a powerful and important message/reminder. What have we come to as a society when we do not provide much needed help and support to the hundreds of thousands of troops that have served our nation with honor and bravery? I readily recommend that you check out "Thank You For Your Service", be it in the theater, on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.

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