THE MONUMENTS MEN (B-)

Bottom Line: This lowered-stakes, supremely cinematically light version of OCEAN’S ELEVEN meets SAVING PRIVATE RYAN is a well-intentioned ode to art scholars-turned-soldiers tasked with rescuing artistic masterpieces from thieving Nazis during World War II.  The cinematography is crisp, the soundtrack is marchingly patriotic and the film itself is, more-or-less, competently directed by Clooney – but he (who also stars) alongside Damon, Murray, Goodman and Blanchett are undeveloped; so you end up caring (or not caring) about someone based on their celebrity and not the character development.  I love the actors, so much of the movie is carried for me by their breezy charm and the enlightenment of this little known slice of American history.  The rest of the movie is a mish-mash of meandering blandness and sporadically masterful storytelling.  It’s interesting and important stuff, but there also exists no real sense of urgency. These negatives aside, this is an easily-digestible, passionately offbeat history lesson of unsung heroes that the right audience will definitely enjoy.  If you think this ‘right person’ might be you, just don’t go in expecting anything monumental…

 

Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Bob Balaban and Jean Dujardin

Directed by: George Clooney (GOODNIGHT AND GOOD LUCK, THE IDES OF MARCH and CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND)

Rated: PG-13

Running time: 113 minutes

Story: Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell, how could these guys - seven museum directors, curators, and art historians, all more familiar with Michelangelo than the M-1 - possibly hope to succeed? But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind's greatest achievements. (c) Sony

 

Official site: www.monumentsmenmovie.com