The Monuments Men

With his mustache George Clooney looks a bit like Clark Gable. The retro look is appropriate since the movie harkens back to the war movies of the 60’s and 70’s such as the Longest Day and The Guns of Navorone.  At its core this is a buddy movie of a bunch of guys looking for stolen art. The buddy part makes this movie watchable since just looking for stolen art would make it like a PBS special (just like the real PBS special).

The casting makes for good humor and their chemistry is genuine. Clooney is the leader, behind and in front of the camera. Always dapper, he wore a tie during the whole war. Matt Damon is a curator from the Met cris-crossesing Europe looking for the art. He is so neat and clean not even in the field or in the mines does he get dirty (so how did Private Ryan get short changed?). Damon’s liaison in Paris is Cate Blanchett, a pinch faced marginalized curator (yikes!).  Rounding out the cast is John Goodman as a sculptor. I could not get the image of Goodman as Fred Flintstone working in the rock quarry out of my mind; type casting.  Bill Murray did a Bill Murray. Then there is the ubiquitous Jean Dujardin, who plays a French solider (Viola!!). He is dashing in a beret.

Chasing and finding stolen art is the back bone of the movie. Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child of Bruges and Van Eyck’s Ghent Triptych were costars of the movie. Other luminaries mentioned were Veneer, Vazquez, and Frans Hal (Picasso didn’t make it, he was torched). Passing Art History 101 is not a prerequisite but it don’t hurt.

The Nazis were there but not there. They were like a bad order in the background. One scene was ironically humorous. Question, what does a Nazi officer hiding as a farmer in the country side do with priceless works of art? You will not believe it.

No one’s acting is outstanding or memorable, but as a group they make an enjoyable and watchable movie. It is worth the price of a movie, but if you want to splurge go to the Met and visit the rest of the caste.

P.s.-There is a very nice surprise in the last scene.