Some laughs but nothing more

Rating: 5/10 (8 September 2010)

It takes under a minute until you know what kind of movie this is going to be, some sort of slapstick comedy. It's not a bad thing, not at all and it started quite funny. An impressive number of stars in this film. George Clooney is the one that really stands out, and Ewan McGregor is also good. Of course they are the leads so they are the ones you see most but I feel the rest of the well known actors are just alright and nothing special. Their seriousness combined with the movies silly tone works well. But about half ways in I get the feeling it's starting to drag. Some funny bits appear now and then but the plot is just blank. Sure there is a story but it's neither interesting or even really funny. One gets the feeling it's just there to connect a bunch of jokes together. The movie has minimal action so if anyone thinks it's a war film then it's not, the war parts are nothing more than a set piece. Soon one realises that jokes can't carry the movie as a whole. Like I wrote earlier about half ways my concentration begins to dip, I stop caring where the plot is heading. When it ends I shrug my shoulders and nothing more. Not a bad 90 min but neither that good either. Sure slapstick comedies seldom, maybe never have any really substance but this film had absolutely nothing underneath. Because there is no real character development I don't care much for the ending. Not that there is something particularly wrong at the end but it just feels like nothing. That several things make no sense I've long stopped thinking about, but I suppose one can't expect that from a comedy.
My reaction leans to the negative. A bit disappointed sadly. I figure I was expecting something more from this. It's not a very bad movie but it's not good either. If you see it you sure will feel it's an somewhat enjoyable 90 min. But my verdict is no more than 5/10.