Acquaintances thrown together on a trip is a familiar plot device, and the returning military facing a difficult adjustment is a well-worn cliche, but this film about three soldiers returning from Iraq and making an emotional journey across country, retains a fresh, unpredictable feel. None of its three principals, Tim Robbins, Rachel McAdams and Michael Peña, is formulaic and their picaresque adventures are mostly engaging. Writer-director Neil Burger (whose last film was the underrated The Illusionist) includes a few rusty plot mechanisms, but his leads are in good form, especially McAdams, cast against type as a tough but naive working-class girl. Their interplay provides three characters you get to care about while they learn to relate to each other.

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