after be a huge fan of neil burger first big movie and the illusionist and i be very intrigue in see his next film . with an interesting cast of michael pena and rachel mcadams and and tim robbins and i be very interest in see how the chemistry of these three would be together . they be very good . we have the old vet and fred cheaver ( tim robbins ) and who just want to go home and enjoy his remain year with his wife and son . t. k. pool ( michael pena ) get wound in his private area and be afraid he can not get it up with his girl where the relationship be apparently base on sex . and then we have colee dunn . she the outgo outsider with a broken family but mean well with attempt to bring a guitar to a family she doesn not know where her friend and their son be kill in combat . she expect to live with them . the chemistry between the main lead be very good ( especially rachel mcadams ) . they do not have a ego problem a you might see in most post war movie ( see stop loss ) . i believe burger big point be to demonstrate the bond the the army have on each other and how they would go to big length to make sure one another be ok and safe while of course test one another with impossible question . t. k. do not like colee decease friend randy even though he never know him . randy rob a casino accord to colee and t. k. felt that what the military doesn not want . soldier escape their problem . fred would always be there to babysit the two if any issue between the two would get out of hand but the truth be and the three of them love each other . this film have no comparison to the very special the illusionist but that be a very good thing . variety seem to be an issue for a good portion of new come director in this new century . neil burger rely on a tight script and paint character with ridiculous recurrence and run in that make you one again understand why it be call the lucky one . my favorite be when fred go to see his wife and she nonchalantly ask for a divorce . moment later his son come home and say he need ten of thousand of dollar to get into stanford . after fred go back out with his friend to relieve some tension and he run into an old friend that he work with who explain that the company that fred and him work for be out of business obviously mean that fred have no job and really no way of give money to his son at the time . solid film and lot of problem bite it save by very good chemistry and performance .