Final previews of 'Last Flag Flying' involve the Legion

American Legion members in Los Angeles, La Jolla, Calif., and Washington, D.C., are helping coordinate moderated panel discussions Thursday evening following final preliminary screenings of “Last Flag Flying,” an emotion-stirring film that opens nationwide Nov. 17.

Lionsgate/Amazon Studios is also working with Legionnaires in 40 different communities, including Dallas and Austin, Texas, to participate in final local previews of the film starring award-winning actors Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston and Laurence Fishburne. In the movie, three Vietnam War combat veterans are reunited when one, Larry “Doc” Shepherd, played by Carell, is faced with grief and difficult decisions after his son, Larry, Jr., is killed in Iraq and returned home in a flag-draped coffin.

The film was previewed Oct. 10 in Indianapolis during the Fall National Executive Committee meetings of The American Legion. Since then, media reviews have raved about the message, acting, cinematography and authenticity of the story, based on a 2005 novel by Daryl Ponicsan and directed by Academy Award nominee Richard Linklater. Executive Producer Thomas Lee Wright, a Minnesota American Legion Boys State alum, said following the Oct. 10 preview in Indianapolis: “When this comes out in the theater, hopefully people will understand a little bit more about the 1 percent and the sacrifice that people make. That’s our goal.”

To find out about theater locations and times in local areas, visit: http://tickets.lastflagflying.com