The latest film from Amazon Studios just dropped its first trailer, and it certainly looks to be an emotional journey, especially for those who have so generously served and continue to serve in our armed forces. Last Flag Flying (2017) centers on three Vietnam war veteran friends who reunite when one of them travels to bury his son who died in the Iraq war.
The movie stars Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, and Laurence Fishburne as this trio of buddies, and before seeing this trailer I was expecting to see a fairly serious performance from Steve Carell (primarily the main character), along the lines of some of the more recent work he has been giving us like The Big Short (2015) and Foxcatcher (2014) (both performances of which were nominated for Golden Globes, one for an Academy Award), and I was a bit surprised to see that he more or less is playing his usual funny self. Don’t get me wrong, I love when Steve Carell is comedic, and there are without a doubt some heavier moments in this trailer and therefore to be anticipated in this film, I just found the trailer to be more of a straight comedy with a little drama than a drama with moments of levity.
The situation that these three amigos, especially Steve Carell’s character Larry ‘Doc’ Shepherd, are in is of course quite grave, and is presented as such. There will obviously be some more lighthearted moments when these three friends reunite, joke around, and reminisce, especially with the reveal of Laurence Fishburne’s character of Mueller now being a priest with apparently something of a wilder background. But for this writer the trailer comes across as much more lighthearted than serious, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, if that is indeed what the filmmakers are going for here. Of course, this is just the first trailer, and as such just a trailer, so opinions may change as time goes by as more previews and the actual film are released. The more serious, emotional moments are indeed there in this trailer, even if in small amounts, and may garner some Oscar attention and still offer some heartfelt entertainment for audiences this fall, whether or not you are a veteran or in a veteran family.
Last Flag Flying will star Steve Carell (The Office (2005-13)), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad (2008-13)), and Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix (1999)), and heads to theaters on November 3, 2017.
Check out the first trailer below!
