The Monuments Men
The Monuments Men isn’t terrible, but it steadfastly refuses to live up to its promise: Based on a true story, it’s set in the twilight of WWII and follows a group of men trying to find and recover artworks that Hitler has stolen. George Clooney heads things up, and he’s backed up by a bunch of other guys you like: Bill Murray! John Goodman! Matt Damon! Jean Dujardin! Bob Balaban! That guy from Downton Abbey! It’d be unfair to expect The Monuments Men to feel like Ocean’s WWII, but what it does feel like is… not much of anything. A plinking score by Alexandre Desplat is the one constant as the script veers from comedy to sentimentality, and frustratingly, the cast is split up as soon as they’re introduced. Off on their own, Murray and Balaban have some first-rate moments, and Cate Blanchett—the one woman at this sausage party—both accomplishes the most and seems to be having the most fun. But no one else gets enough screen time to do much of anything. Despite director Clooney’s best intentions, the whole thing’s halfway down the memory hole before it’s even finished. (ERIK HENRIKSEN)