"The Greatest Beer Run Ever" tells the incredible true story of dedicated friendship and promises kept. Based on the best-selling memoir of John “Chickie” Donahue, the story takes us back to 1967 where, in the shadow of the Vietnam War, merchant seaman Donahue makes a promise to his enlisted friends that he will visit his buddies in combat and deliver them messages of support, laughter, and beer.

Book cover for "The Greatest Beer Run Ever"

Peter Farrelly, who previously directed the 2019 Oscar-winning Best Picture "Green Book," chose seasoned location scout Sam Hutchins to deal with the challenging location demands of the script.

Director Peter Farrelly

Sam has worked in film production for over 30 years. He started out as a parking production assistant, then worked his way into the Locations Department and never looked back. His astonishing resume includes such blockbusters as “Ghostbusters,” “Fantastic Four,” “Jack Reacher,” “Inferno,” “The Upside,” and “Joker.”

“One of the films I’m most proud of is ‘Joker,’” shares Sam, “which filmed some of its biggest scenes in Newark and Jersey City. A lot of people pulled together and worked hard to make what I think is a really good film.”

“The Greatest Beer Run Ever,” with its stars and accomplished director, was an attractive project for Sam. However, the pandemic created some challenges. Covid restrictions shut down the production in New Zealand, causing Sam and producer Jake Myers to rethink their options. Both worked previously in Thailand and knew they could make that work for Vietnam. That’s when Sam suggested using parts of the Garden State to cheat as the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan.

Location Scout image: Thailand

“We only had two weeks to scout locations before taking the Director out. Fortunately, in addition to extensive experience filming in New Jersey, I had a secret weapon. Another producer, Andrew Muscato, a Jersey native, was able to point me in the right direction on some of the things I had trouble finding myself,” continued Sam.

Location Scout Sam Hutchins takes time out for a selfie while scouting in Bangkok on his motorbike.

A key location in the story was a bar called Doc Fiddlers, and Sam knew the importance of finding the right look. “I was scouting apartment exteriors in North Bergen and wandered into an amazing spot on Bergenline Avenue called Brass Rail. Walking in the door was one of those ‘bolt of lightning’ moments where I absolutely knew I had found the location.

Brass Rail Pub in North Bergen

Location Scout Image: Brownstones in Jersey City

When asked about choosing locations, and choosing New Jersey specifically, Sam cited several factors. “The tax credit. Without it, we don’t even consider many places as potential filming locations. Whoever wrote the New Jersey incentive statute is brilliant. It allows you to shoot part of a film in Jersey and the rest in Thailand, or somewhere else. It also allowed us to bring Pete Farrelly, Zac Efron and a guy named Bill Murray to work in New Jersey and pump money into the local economy. Everyone wins.”

Russell Crowe, Zac Efron and Bill Murray star in “The Greatest Beer Run Ever”

Tax credits aside, locations must fit the bill creatively. While the versatility of New Jersey’s landscape is well known, Sam relied on his years of experience, his connections, and his relationship with the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission. “With almost no time to prepare I was able to call the Commission’s Executive Director, Steve Gorelick, and determine that North Bergen was a locale where we could make our film. There’s also little I enjoy more than getting into the nuts and bolts with Commission Associate Director, David Schoner. The man works miracles. I also leaned on my previous relationships with Joe Waks in Hudson County and Stephanie Daniels in Jersey City to help clear the path. People have no idea how valuable and rare it is to have such competent professionals to help bring a film production to a state and pull it off successfully.”

“The Greatest Beer Run Ever” joins a growing number of other high-profile film and television projects that have been shooting in New Jersey in recent years. Filming took place in Jersey City, Newark, North Bergen and Paterson over the course of almost two weeks. The movie is slated for release sometime in late 2022 or early 2023.