Interesting story but perhaps too much ego/charisma in one film?

Rating: 7/10 (22 May 2014)

The Monuments Men is a fascinating project. On one hand it is a really interesting twist on a World War 2 story. On the other hand I'm not sure it was enough to create a two hour film around. Clooney is talented in many ways and while I've never been a huge fan of his I can't deny his talent and charisma in Hollywood. There are some genuinely moving moments in the film but it also struggles to capture the sort of intensity and emotional upheaval of the war though it does try. The subject matter is almost too light given the setting. It doesn't have near the range of intensity of films like Warhorse or Schindler's List. This cast is very near stunning. However, part of that problem might be too many stars and not enough coverage for their characters and time for them to do what we all love them to do best. The film makers may have been better off finding a smaller, lesser known cast to tell this story. Still, the unique angle and the fun chemistry between the cast makes for an entertaining and decent World War 2 picture. I felt like, despite it being delayed for several months, the script and direction could have used a little fine tuning or something more added.
As I said George Clooney is very hit and miss for me. I know how talented he is and he is the epitome of modern day Hollywood royalty and I respect him for that. I have seen in roles I've loved and some I've hated and everywhere in between. I don't know where this performance sits because he definitely tones it back to make room for the other stars but maybe he's toned back too much. He doesn't make much of a splash and his performance is almost boring at times which is unfortunate. Matt Damon was one of the better characters but also was victim to getting not enough development. He provides some moments of one-liner humour which still seems strange to me but somehow it works. Clooney and he definitely have good chemistry and that helps. The supporting cast in the film are all terrific but none of them get the screen time they deserve and they all seem to have terrific back stories that we never really get to find out about. Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville and Bob Balaban all have one or two great scenes and together they are terrific but there is too many of them and not enough space for their stories. There is this hint of this clever and fun little rivalry between Balaban and Murray but that never takes off and the back story of Bonneville is great but we never really get to explore that and Dujardin's heroic tale gets mostly lost. Literally the actress I cannot stand most in the world (just edging out Jessica Chastain) is Cate Blanchett. She is the most over-rated and irritating actress. Fortunately her role in this is nearly pointless and she hardly gets any time to get under my skin. She is forgettable at best in this film. There is a whole sub story between her and Damon that never goes anywhere either.
It may seem like I'm trashing this movie and I don't mean to. There were good scenes, some fun and some touching moments but nothing is as powerful as it should be because its simply too crowded with cast and story and not enough depth to the important things. This would have made a heck of a TV series with Spielberg behind it because they could have explored these great characters. The script is actually very good but not right for a feature length film. Production value is excellent and two scenes that stand out is Damon and his landmine incident and the very moving scene in the middle of the film with a melancholy Christmas carol playing. This cast is grade A superb and none of the faults of this film are on them. It just could have been so much more. Perhaps it was rushed after all. Still you won't be disappointed per se and it you will enjoy it but it won't blow very many people away and for being what it is, I think it will mostly be forgettable which is unfortunate to me. 7/10