Thank You for Your Service (2017)

A group of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq struggle to integrate back into family and civilian life, while living with the memory of a war that threatens to destroy them long after they've left the battlefield.

Director:

Jason Hall

Writers:

David Finkel (Thank You for Your Service by), Jason Hall

Stars:

Miles Teller, Beulah Koale, Joe Cole

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Miles Teller	...	Adam Schumann
Beulah Koale	...	Tausolo Aieti
Joe Cole	...	Billy Waller
Scott Haze	...	Michael Emory
Haley Bennett	...	Saskia Schumann
Amy Schumer	...	Amanda Doster
Omar J. Dorsey	...	Dante
Keisha Castle-Hughes	...	Alea Aieti
Brad Beyer	...	Sergeant James Doster
Kerry Cahill	...	Anna Waller
Stella Pileggi	...	Zoe Schumann (as Stella La'ren Pileggi)
David Morse	...	Fred Gusman
Adam Schumann	...	Staff Sgt. on Tarmac
Tony Winters	...	Taxi Driver
Han Soto	...	Doctor

Storyline

DreamWorks Pictures' Thank You for Your Service follows a group of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq who struggle to integrate back into family and civilian life, while living with the memory of a war that threatens to destroy them long after they've left the battlefield. Starring an ensemble cast led by Miles Teller, Haley Bennett, Joe Cole, Amy Schumer, Beulah Koale, Scott Haze, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Brad Beyer, Omar J. Dorsey and Jayson Warner Smith, the drama is based on the bestselling book by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and author David Finkel. Jason Hall, who wrote the screenplay of American Sniper, makes his directorial debut with Thank You for Your Service and also serves as its screenwriter. Jon Kilik (The Hunger Games series, Babel) produces the film, while Ann Ruark (Biutiful) and Jane Evans (Sin City) executive produces.

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | violence | profanity | posttraumatic stress disorder | married couple | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violent content, language throughout, some sexuality, drug material and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA India

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 October 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Thank You for Your Service

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,817,700, 29 October 2017, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$9,467,000, 22 November 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks, Reliance Entertainment, Dune Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Directorial debut of Jason Hall

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Goofs

When Sergeant Emery is driving his car with Staff Sergeant Schumann riding in the passenger seat, notice that the outside shots show a silver Dodge Challenger (2-door) but inside shots show what appears to be a Dodge Charger (4-door). In any case, it's clear that there are back doors to the car with their own full windows which is inconsistent with the exterior appearance of the car.

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Quotes

Adam Schumann: [while having sex, Adam hallucinates Saskia getting hit with gunfire] Get off!
[he starts panting]
Saskia Schumann: What happened? What did I do? I don't understand. Tell me what to do. I need you to talk to me, Adam. It's time. I've given you months!
Adam Schumann: I thought we were broke, and you're buying fucking lingerie!
Adam Schumann: I thought you were fine. You're lying to me, I found your VA questionnaire, everything's a lie!
Saskia Schumann: I'm not lying.
Saskia Schumann: You're fucked up! You're not looking for a job! You're sick and I can't do anything if you ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Miles Teller/P!nk/Austin Rogers/William Patrick Corgan (2017)

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Soundtracks

Oops! ...I Did It Again (In the Style of Britney Spears)
Written by Max Martin (as Martin Karl Sandberg) & Rami Yacoub (as Rami Yacoub)
Courtesy of Covered Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Display of Courage After the Battles

Thank You For Your Service is one of those perfectly formidable films about PTSD, but it's also nothing I haven't seen in other films. So while it's undeniably well-made and well-acted, it's tough overly praise something that I have ultimately seen before.

The film follows 3 soldiers, just returning home from Iraq, as they struggle emotionally to re-introduce themselves to the family they haven't seen in months, or even years. Starring Miles Teller, Joe Cole, and Beulah Koale as close friends/soldiers who are looking for a way to cope with PTSD as the events in Irag haunt them through their day-to-day life. Much like most war films, there are some haunting images and scenes that are shown throughout 'Thank You For Your Service', and actually the film plays better as a heads-up to be aware of the troubles that Veterans go through after war. So I guess in that way, this story may have been better served as a documentary feature.

In narrative form, there are some great performances and visually stunning scenes, however it's mostly a slow building and grueling experience emotionally and physically for these characters. Speaking of performances, there is one particular actress who just feels completely out of place in this film. It's not necessarily fair for me to call her out of place, because she actually gives a fine performance, but I'm just not used to her playing someone who should be taken seriously. That actress is Amy Schumer. Again, it's not a bad performance but I just found myself wondering how those scenes would have played out with a different actress.

Thank You For Your Service is a good example of a film which I'm glad was made, but it's not an absolutely necessary film to watch. It's a nice reminder though to think about all of the Veterans of war who are constantly looking for help post-war time. In that regard, it's a well-strung together film.

7.0/10