Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boys gets girl back...oh yeah, and the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor

Rating: 4/10 (4 April 2002)

Just saw this film the other day, and it was a little better than I thought it was going to be which really isn't saying much (this was only due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor scenes). I am a huge war movie fan and I usually flock to the theaters anytime an epic is released such as Saving Private Ryan, We Were Soldiers or Black Hawk Down. This movie, however, I boycotted due to the cast and the hours of romance that I heard were in it. I'm glad I didn't pay money to see it, yet it had a few good moments.
First off, the movie has many historical flaws, but that is to be expected, and in my opinion, doesn't make for a bad war film (most of the time). The storyline follows Rafe (anyone know anyone named Rafe?) and his romance with the gorgeous Kate Beckinsale, who plays a Florence Nightengale type nurse who falls for Rafe who is an American pilot who fought for Britain before America formally got into the war. Basically, boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy loses girl, girl finds other guy, girl loses other guy, boy finds girl again...tried and true...a Hollywood formula that just won't quit. Honestly, the whole romance in a war film doesn't necessarily turn me off, just two freaking hours of it does. It was trying to be like Titanic way too much. The war scenes, when you finally get to them, are spectacular, with explosions worthy of a Jerry Bruckheimer/Michael Bay title. Tom Sizemore, one of my favs, was great in this film, along with Jon Voight as FDR. Affleck, an actor who I go back and forth on, mainly b\c of his annoying cockiness on screen, did a pretty good job in this film, but could have been casted with a better actor. Kate Beckinsale was great, and man, what a hottie...definitely would give you a reason to return back home alive. And of course, there was Josh Hartnett, in my opinion, the most Overrated, undertalented actor over the past couple of years...his acting was horrible, and I did not sympathize nor like his character at all. It's a wonder where Hollywood is pulling all of these no-talents from...someone like Ryan Phillippe would have been a much better choice, an actor who is serious and charismatic. Overall, this movie is long and dragged out. It re-creates the Dec. 7th spectacularly, and features the Doolittle raid with equal splender, yet the movie as a whole is below average. If you buy it, skip over the romance parts and watch the last 30 minutes, the only redeemable quality of this film. 4/10.