The NGC documentary was better.

Rating: 3/10 (16 February 2014)

This movie is based on a really interesting story, but the movie itself is dull and tepid. If Clooney wanted to inspire audiences with the monuments men's heroic acts and passion for the work they were saving, he failed. The actors are generally half-hearted and the movie is completely devoid of momentum and suspense. The story unfolds like the dramatization of a textbook, with few exceptions (the scene with the Christmas carol, and the letter/operation to rescue the Bruges Madonna were pretty good). Why? In part because the script is too full of dry little quips, yet this movie is not actually funny enough to be a comedy. . Clooney tells the monuments men's story like a guy relating an epically bad backpacking trip to his bro-friend at a bar. Comedic relief is only successful if there is something dramatic enough to relieve us from (the landmine scene? seriously?).
Another problem is the characters. These historical figures are absolutely fascinating and are part of what makes this story so compelling, yet in the script they aren't nearly as fleshed out or interesting as they could be. Clooney's depiction of Claire, for example is insulting. She was they key to the entire operation, but instead of depicting her strength he reduces an enigmatic woman into a desperate love interest - as though it is cinematically impossible to have a female character in a movie without using her for romantic tension. FAIL.
The documentary I watched prior to seeing this film got me really excited for the movie because as an art lover, I'm eager to see a mainstream film that gets people excited about art. Instead, I'm left feeling almost betrayed.