The Monuments Men

Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Cate Blanchett, Hugh Bonneville, Bob Balaban, Dimitri Leonidas
Directed by: George Clooney
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, War
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A group of art historians go behind enemy lines during World War II to save and preserve art that Adolph Hitler wants for his own museum.

Review:

Tim: I believe that George Clooney has great talent as a director. Unfortunately, he went completely off the rails with this film. The Monuments Men should have been an exciting, memorable, powerful World War II movie. Instead, we get a plain, generic, completely boring and forgettable movie. Sitting through this 118 minute movie was a marathon.

The first thing that Clooney needed to establish were strong characters. This, he does not do. He assembles a very good cast and gives them the most bland, uninteresting characters in memory. I can't tell you one interesting fact about a single character in this film, maybe outside of Cate Blanchett's character. We understand the male cast members are interested in protecting art, but they are mere shadows of actual, complex human beings. These weak caricatures do nothing for the audience. I didn't even remotely begin caring about anyone involved in this film. I was never given a reason to. Now, contrast this with a film like Saving Private Ryan, which had memorable, identifiable, likeable characters. This completely sinks the movie and I blame Clooney both as director and co-writer. What happened?

The story is so weak, which is a real shame. This film is based on true events, and the real men who sacrificed so much to protect art deserved a better portrayal on screen. The film kind of meanders from point to point, delivering scene after scene of absolutely mediocrity. Not much happens, honestly. There's a lot of talking, a few forced speeches, and on occasion a character dies. All of this was met with shrugs from me. I didn't care about the characters, their quest, or anything depicted on screen. It's an absolute failure on multiple levels.

The cast is great on paper and given nothing to do. Clooney himself is in the lead role. He's the leader of the group and I can't really tell you anything else about him. Matt Damon is close friends with Clooney and contemplates an affair with Cate Blanchett. Again, I got nothing else. Bill Murray and John Goodman were fun to see, but just kind of wander around from scene to scene, not really adding anything to the occasion. Jean Dujardin was completely wasted. Cate Blanchett was probably the one bright spot. I don't love Blanchett, but I marvel at her amazing talent. Somehow, she manages to be the only compelling character in the entire film. I attribute this more to her performance than anything Clooney did, either writing or directing-wise. Hugh Bonneville and Bob Balaban added very little. It's been a while since I've seen such a good cast so hamstrung by a poor script and directing. The cast looks really good on paper and really bad on screen.

One of the biggest sins of this film is simply how dull it is. I'm not suggesting they needed to add more explosions- this isn't an action movie, nor should it be. It just presents nothing especially compelling on screen. There's no real surprises, no suspenseful or thrilling moments. The inspirational speeches fall flat and feel forced. With nothing particularly driving the action on screen, it was all too easy for me to get distracted. I actually found myself glancing around my living room, finding more excitement in unmoving walls and fixtures than what I was seeing on screen. Now, there are a few decent moments sprinkled throughout the film, but they are separated by long stretches of pure mediocrity.

George Clooney has real talent, but something went woefully wrong here. As actor, director, and writer, Clooney has to shoulder the vast majority of the blame here. This was his baby, his project, and it just falls apart in the first few moments. The Monuments Men was originally intended as an award contender. Instead, the studio dumped it in February. This is an all-around poor movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Good German, Saving Private Ryan