Movie Review: "The Monuments Men" (2014)

Movie: "The Monuments Men"
Director: George Clooney
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 58 minutes

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Frank Stokes (George Clooney) convinces the US government to allow him to assemble a team of artists tasked to recover art that the Nazis had stolen during World War II in order to protect the history and culture of humanity.

This movie is sort of right in the middle of the pack as far as things we have seen recently. It's another film directed by George Clooney, who clearly takes himself waaaaay too seriously. Let's be real, folks: he's a good actor, a decent director, a huge producer, but he is 100% in love with himself. In my mind, he sits by himself (or possibly with/near whatever half-his-age model he is with at the moment) in a big room filled with mirrors, leaning back in a gold chair at a platinum table, stroking his beard and massive ego while cackling and drinking the sweet elixir of a serum infused with babies, allowing him to eternally keep his smile radiant, his face ageless, and his skin supple. George Clooney is George Clooney's biggest fan. Because he takes himself seriously, so does this movie. It's not bad, it's just...there.

It almost seems like Clooney thought this might be Oscar/award worthy, but once people started seeing it and reviewing it, it was quickly pushed back a few months. It seems like a very "self important" film. Actors often view themselves as artists. Clooney's character monologues the importance of art to the history of mankind throughout the film, explaining its value and showcasing how it sticks with people through the decades. To us, this is merely Clooney preaching about how important his work as an actor/"artist" will be to the history of mankind and its culture when he is dead and gone.

The thing that I take issue with here is that the story seems rushed, so much so that there's really no true character development. We found ourselves wanting to know more about the men who were tasked to save the world's stolen art, why they acted the way they did, and who they were as people. The timeline of events seems disjointed in certain parts of the movie. Though we personally don't know the actual sequence of events, the movie doesn't seem to follow a clear path of cause and effect...it seems like a random series of scenes slapped together on a timeline.

Cate Blanchett is flawless, of course. She's one of those actresses that can do accents reeeeally well. George Clooney and Matt Damon do a decent job playing George Clooney and Matt Damon, respectively. The film does have its comedic moments, though, and with a charming supporting cast of characters such as Bill Murray, John Goodman, Bob Balaban, and suave Jean Dujardin, we wouldn't expect any less.

Overall, it's not a bad film and it's not as important as it strives to be, but it's worth watching at least for the performances of the supporting cast. History buffs might want to watch a documentary instead.

My Rating: 5.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 6/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 34%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?