George Clooney's war film "The Monuments Men" desperately wants to be taken seriously. The booming and boisterous musical score by Alexandre Desplat evokes classic war films like "The Great Escape". The opening scenes even try to evoke that 1960s war film appearance in a montage where people are silently given their orders and they resolutely go to battle without a single hesitation. The problem is that at its core the story of "The Monuments Men" is art historians who go into unguarded areas and grab priceless works of art that are simply sitting there. The music and imagery act as if the characters are single-handedly changing the face of the war and history. While the actions of the real life Monuments Men is incredibly interesting, no amount of over-the-top music or long speeches is going to convince audiences that what they are seeing is an exciting film. "The Monuments Men" is a story that works best in a book of war anecdotes. It is a story that surprisingly hasn't been made into a movie yet. As you watch the film, you somewhat understand why.
Near the end of World War II, Frank Stokes (George Clooney) has put together a team to head into Germany for the purpose of finding art stolen by Nazis and hidden throughout the country. His team (Matt Damon, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville, and Bob Balaban) all instantly agree to join Stokes on his mission. They know that without their support, these works of art would no doubt be casualties of war. When they get to Germany, the group splits up to find art hidden in different parts of the country.
It is impossible not to find a good portion of "The Monuments Men" charming. If you put these actors in the same frame together you are bound to smile. Much like Clooney and Damon's "Ocean's" trilogy, you are not necessarily impressed or entertained by the characters and the writing as much as you are entertained by the fact that these actors are in the same room with each other. Murray and Balaban work especially well together. It would be interesting if we saw these actors team up again in a television series. Goodman and Dujardin are also quite fun together although they don't get nearly as many scenes as we'd like. The problem with having so many good actors working together is that you are bound to be disappointed. No character gets enough time for you to care about them. A few die and you will be hard-pressed to remember their names unless they are repeated. As I write this review, I have a difficult time even recalling character traits. Murray seems to simply be playing Murray if he existed in World War II. Damon seems to simply be playing Damon if he existed in World War II. These are not necessarily bad things but it is difficult to care about the real-life war heroes when they aren't given any real weight.
As good of an actress as Blanchett is it is almost glaring having her in the role of a French German woman who assists Damon. It is almost as if she simply took this role to fill out one more portion of "Movie Accent Bingo" card. You have Dujardin playing a French character and Bonneville playing a British character. There is no real reason to not cast a German woman for this role. It is not that Blanchett is not good in her role. It is that she is wholly unnecessary for any reason other than to fill in the only female role in the film.
"The Monuments Men" suffers from a tone problem. The musical score would love to make you believe you are watching a rousing action-packed 1960s war film. The problem is that the score is delivered over scenes of our non-soldier characters walking into buildings vacant of Nazis and picking up pieces of art that are simply sitting there. The films sole scene of suspense comes in the last act and simply deals with some other country that would also kind of like that art coming there in the not too distant future. The score would have you believe that there was an eminent danger around the corner. In reality, there is no suspense. Other scenes attempt comedy with an almost equal amount of success and failure. One scene involving Damon stepping on a land-mine that may or may not be disabled is both funny and interesting. Another that deals with Murray going to a dentist with a toothache seems as if it was just there to fit in a scene quota in his contract. The film is at its most awkward though when it attempts to be a rousing drama about the heroes of war. While the men no doubt did something amazing, the flash-forward ending set in a museum is so eye-rolling that it is almost pandering.
There is a wonderful story in "The Monuments Men". More than likely that story would work better in a book of the various missions and discoveries of the real-life men who recovered the art. A filmed version would work if it simply knew how subdued it was. These are not soldiers. These are art historians who are mostly out of their element recovering art. Had the film simply given the story the tone and appearance the story requires it would have succeeded. As it is, the tones shifts almost overshadow the story and we walk away wondering what we are supposed to feel or take away from it all. This is one of the few times where you might be better off reading a book or even perusing the Wikipedia entry of the real story instead of seeing the film. At these both will more than likely give you a more consistent form of entertainment.
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