If you are looking for a big action film from this weekend’s Monuments Men, it’s not.  More of a historical recreation of true events, the movie tries very hard to open a window to an important part of WWII history, but barely achieves it.  Loading the movie with familiar faces of top actors, director George Clooney makes his film more of a docudrama than an entertaining action film.  If you are looking for a lot of excitement, it’s all in the trailer.  Beyond that, get on the bus for a tour of Europe complete with 1940’s soldiers in uniform and fine art lectures.

Loosely based on a true story the movie centers on Frank L. Stokes (George Clooney), a museum director who (according to the movie) convinces President Franklin Roosevelt that Americans must protect the art in Europe from being destroyed and stolen by Hitler.  After consideration and given the go ahead, Stokes assembles a team of museum curators, art historians, architects and sculptors. Their mission: to find and save the architecture, paintings, statues and cathedral pieces that are being destroyed or taken from Europe’s churches, homes and museums.

John Goodman, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Bob Balaban and Bill Murray in Columbia Pictures’ THE MONUMENTS MEN

Stokes along with his artistic talented men go through combat training and then on to Europe.  Writer and director George Clooney moves his film along at a medium pace introducing his characters and their skills to join his important detail.  On to Europe they land on the beaches of Normandy where he goes over their objectives so they can start looking for specific pieces according to their ability to identify them.

Cate Blanchett as Claire Simone in MONUMENTS MEN

At the same time they are putting the team together, script writer Clooney introduces Claire Simone into the film, a French museum worker played by Cate Blanchett. She has been functioning under duress with the Nazis forcing her to ship paintings out of France. Here the film gets more intriguing and appealing showing the importance of Stokes’s operation through the daring of Claire. Blanchett gives an excellent performance. She adds the elements that show the urgency of the operation giving credence to the film and upping the entertainment value.

Clooney adds actor Justus von Dohnányi who makes a very ominous Viktor Stahl. He’s an SS Nazi who’s been put in charge of finding significant art for Hitler’s museum.  His interaction with Claire reminds me of Inglourious Basterds where Shosanna Dreyfus is at odds with Nazi Colonel Hans Landa.  Maybe Claire and Victor’s hatred for each other is not as seething, but its close.

John Goodman, director George Clooney and Jean Dujardin on the set of Columbia Pictures’ THE MONUMENTS MEN.

The familiar cast including icons Matt Damon (The Bourne Identity), Bill Murray (Hyde Park on the Hudson), John Goodman (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), Jean Dujardin (The Artist and The Wolf of Wall Street) and Bob Balaban (Gosford Park) are interesting choices, but their performance levels are way out of whack.  Unfortunately for audiences, they don’t provide any energy to the film and are not very inspiring. I disheartening, considering the amazing contributions the men they represent made to the art world. On the other hand, controlling these guys on the same set may have been a nearly impossible chore for Clooney. You be the judge.

Monuments Men has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some images of war violence and historical smoking. “Historical Smoking”? I didn’t know there was a type of smoking that made the history books.  I believe it’s time to rotate the MPAA judges again.   As for the war violence, believe me there was nothing close of Saving Private Ryan in this film.  Actually it should have been considered “mild” war violence, if I could add a new category.

FINAL ANALYSIS:  For WWII history buffs and grade school students on a  need to know basis. (C-)

Additional Film Information:
Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett, Justus von Dohnányi
Directed and written by: George Clooney
Genre: War, Drama, History
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some images of war violence and historical smoking
Running Time: 1 hr 58 min
Release Date: February 7, 2014
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures