The Monuments Men has garnered mixed reviews and I’m going to add to them. The Monuments Men is based on a the true story of a group approved by FDR to save and preserve European art that the Nazis were stealing. George Clooney leads this group of artists including an architect into European war zones to save masterpieces. The cast of Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, and Hugh Bonneville carry the story even when they aren’t given much to do for patches during the movie. I found George Clooney’s voice-overs a bit preachy. There are some very melodramatic moments I could have done without. But, that being said, The Monuments Men could not have been made in today’s Hollywood unless Clooney used his clout to push the project. Talking the talented actors into becoming part of this ensemble movie is another thing Clooney should get credit for. I enjoyed The Monuments Men despite its flaws. GRADE: B
I thought Bob Balaban died trying to save the whales.
Bob, Balaban isn’t too lively in THE MONUMENTS MEN. He basically plays a straight man for Bill Murray.
Despite the presence of my secret boyfriend, George Clooney, I was completely put off by this movie when I heard this line in the trailer: “We have been tasked by the government…” No one in the 1940s used “tasked” as a verb–that anachronism irritated me perhaps out-of-proportion to its significance, but it made me wonder what else wouldn’t be true to the spirit of the era.
Deb, George Clooney uses the word “tasked” twice in THE MONUMENTS MEN. It was like fingernails on a chalk board! Annoying!
Deb, if you think that is bad imagine how annoyed I was last night watching a DVD of (hate the title) Lee Daniels’ The Butler.
No, he wasn’t raised in the cotton fields of Macon, Georgia. No (SPOILER ALERT!) his mother wasn’t raped and his father murdered by the slave master (oops, I mean land owner’s son) (END WARNING) but we added that for “dramatic effect.”
As far as I’m concerned you can make a movie about a man who worked as a butler at the White House, and you can make a movie about the Civil Rights movement where one character appears at every major event of the era, but do NOT try and artificially graft them together as this movie did. And whoever cast the Presidents must have been smoking crack.
I think I will take THE MONUMENTS MEN over THE BUTLER any day of the week.
Jeff, I’m sure the Academy agrees with you because LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER (talk about a narcissistic title for a movie!) was snubbed in the Oscar competition.
Glad it was better than the reviews,
Patti, THE MONUMENTS MEN tells a compelling story I knew nothing about. It was worth watching it for that alone.
Discovery channel has been running a documentary about the real monument men. Its informative even if its a partial plug for the movie.
I thought I might read the book.
As for The Butler, I think Oprah had a lot to do with the blending in the civil rights you mention.
Steve, it’s my understanding that there were over 350 monuments men involved in the art preservation project during WWII. This movie never mentions that leaving most viewers to conclude that George Clooney and his friends were the only team in action.
Rick, I’ve heard an interview with the author of THE MONUMENTS MEN on NPR. I might be interested in reading the book, too.
I head that there was already a movie called The Butler so they added the director’s name to distinguish it from the other Butler. I think there was a better solution.
Bob, they could have titled the movie THE WHITE HOUSE BUTLER and that would have solved the problem.
I was frankly surprised by the number of bad reviews the movie had racked up upon its release date. By and large I was seeing the words “boring”. However, I read Richard Roeper’s positive review of the film and could see where the film he was describing might not sit well with a modern audience used to a certain kind of WWII film. I’m very interested in seeing it and may get out to do so this coming weekend.