John Wayne stamp of approval

Rating: 9/10 (8 February 2004)

Pearl Harbor begins with an over-the-top back from the dead love triangle being played out. Without too much delay, the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. Just when viewers are completely lulled into thinking that all of the melodrama is finished, and there will be nothing more to see other than top-notch special effects and cool WWII airplanes -- BAM! -- John Voight as President Roosevelt takes control! Using super patriotic will power, we see President Roosevelt dramatically overcome his polio just to win an argument. Talk about a display of dramatics. Oscar! Oscar! What a man! Nothing could be more exciting... except of course for other than when Alec Baldwin takes his turn at commanding the film. Baldwin employs a healthy dose of square-jawed over-the-top melodrama as he plays the part of Lt. Col. James Doolittle. Attentive viewers may notice the ghost of John Wayne nodding approvingly over Baldwin's shoulder as patriotic jingoism is spread as deep and thick as any GOP actor would ever dare deliver.
I, for one, loved this movie. And if PEARL HARBOR is good enough for John Wayne, who are we to disagree?