Sadly Over-hyped

Expected more

A Masterpiece!

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I didn't know what to expect when I decided to watch this on a flight home but I am glad I did. I know the feeling having served and coming back into civilian life. It wasn't easy. As I watched, I felt every emotion the soldiers felt. I have had what they portrayed. I have asked my wife to see it as there things that are hard to say when one has PTSD. This movie shows not what happens to just American Soldiers but Soldiers around the world. If you don't know anybody in any Armed Forces you may not get this movie; cause you won't appreciate it. If you do, it's an insight to our struggles and governments lack of resource for funding to help those who have served to give a Democracy the freedom and protection people think is free.

It's 2007. Adam Schumann (Miles Teller) and his squad return home from Iraq. It's been a difficult tour and each one faces his own demons. Adam's wife Saskia (Haley Bennett) is desperate to help him but he's unwilling to open up to her. Upon arriving, he's accosted by Amanda Doster, the wife of his dead comrade.First, thank you for your service. There is always a problem when the movie starts with "Inspired by". It couldn't even be "Based on". For a fake story, it needs to be more concentrated. It rambles around with too many characters. Miles Teller does some good work as well as the other actors. The PTSD stories are individually compelling but the plot is lacking. The telling is flat as the audience waits for the inevitable reveal at the end. I would be more drawn in if the movie stays with Teller and Bennett. I find compelling moments but the overall viewing experience is less than thrilling.

We need to do better. That's the moral of this movie about soldiers returning from combat.They seek help and none is given. Some is given too late.Everyone should see this.

This movie can be looked at in two ways. If you don't believe in PTSD or that soldiers come back with real emotional scars from their service, this will largely come across as whining and griping and might be viewed as political propaganda for one side or the other. The other way to look at it is as a depressing statement about the level of care veterans receive today and how ill-equipped they are to deal with the problems they bring back home. I fall in the second camp. This movie is definitely somber, there is very little levity but that is the goal of Thank You For Your Service. They go into how damaged your psyche can get and that even when you're back, that doesn't mean your problems stop, they only shift in a different direction. The movie even presents the statistic that 22 veterans commit suicide a day. This is sobering and not pleasant to think about. But that doesn't mean the movie isn't entertaining or worth watching.So, this movie is about American soldiers dealing with PTSD, but it also brings up some issues that you might not think about immediately. After they're discharged, how easy it for them to find jobs? If they suffer a physical or mental injury, how quickly do they get access to care? Is it sufficient to their respective injury? Are there enough veteran affairs offices to deal with all these veterans? What preventative measures are there to discourage things like suicide or self-harm? How do you deal with a condition like survivor's guilt? These are all things that are addressed in the movie and I like the fact that they presented them even though we might not like the answers to those questions. This is a good type of movie to give young and up-and-coming actors/actresses a chance to shine. Miles Teller needed to rebound off the disastrous last attempt at the Fantastic Four and this was a nice comeback performance. He has a lot of humility in this, this isn't a flashy role, but it requires a lot of emotion and he delivers. Haley Bennett is also solid in a thankless role as Saskia. She doesn't get a lot of screen time, but she always does good work regardless. I hadn't seen Beulah Koale in anything else but he was excellent in this. This role is very raw and full of pain, he gets this across and then some. He also works well with Teller and you buy their friendship. I also liked Joe Cole who I recognized from Peaky Blinders. He's less of a one-note character here and he does well with what he was given. Amy Schumer was weird casting but she's fine. Omar J. Dorsey is good in his small role too.Thank You For Your Service is not a perfect movie however. The movie does drag at points, the trailer makes it look like there's going to be lots of flashbacks to action packed moments in their service and there isn't much. The only other thing is that this is a very small and contained movie. It doesn't reach for anything beyond its grasp and seems fine with just being a quieter story. Some might not be pleased about its unwillingness to point a finger at one group or another, but I thought that was a good quality.I urge people to give this movie a chance no matter what you think about current political climate surrounding the war in the Middle East. The movie doesn't play favourites and it doesn't require you to be on one side of the aisle or the other. Its about the soldiers and what they have to deal with when they get on the airplane to come back. TYFYS develops some complex characters that help shine a light on this important issue. The performances are good across the board, the unflinching spotlight on the issue is deserved and they get you to care about whether these characters can carry this burden and still try to lead normal lives. Despite how the movies delves into a dark subject, I still thought it accomplished what it wanted to, and I'd recommend it to anyone who can appreciate some good acting and some relevant commentary on this issue.