This week we watched the political comedy Charlie Wilson's War (R). Tom Hanks plays the Texas congressman who, pressed by a wealthy campaign donor (Julia Roberts) begins to covertly aid rebels in Afghanistan in the late 80s. Philip Seymour Hoffman costars and Mike Nichols directs.
Andy: Charlie Wilson's War is an unconventional comedy. Its subject is both historical and political, which usual does not bode well for a comedy. Almost every comedy that comes out of Hollywood is built around a romantic relationship, culminating with a marriage or connection between the romantic leads. Not only is there no marriage, there is no romantic theme in the film at all. Remarkably, this works perfectly for this film. What Nichols has done is create a political thriller that is a comedy that does not take itself seriously. It seems like a simple idea, but it has rarely been attempted, much less pulled off this successfully.
Ryan: There’s no question that Charlie Wilson’s War is one of the most fascinating films of the year. Making it even more remarkable is the fact that the movie is based on a true story. This is definitely a case of real events being stranger than fiction. Watching the movie, it seems unbelievable that this really happened. But from what I can tell, much of the movie’s events are indeed accurate. Considering how absurd the events are in the movie, it was a smart decision making the film a comedy. A more serious movie involving the subject matter probably would have been laughable (but not in a good way).
Andy: In a film full of Oscar winners, it is the most recent member of the club that steals the show. Julia Roberts is largely wasted in the movie, and Hanks carries it in the leading role, but Philip Seymour Hoffman absolutely steals the show in every scene he is in. Be prepared, because his character is completely obnoxious, foul mouthed, and rude. But just like Hoffman himself, he's unconventionally good at his job and ridiculously fun to watch.
Ryan: Hoffman is simply outstanding in the movie. There is one scene in particular in the movie that perfectly captures the crassness of Hoffman’s character. It is hands-down one of the best scenes of the year. He’s already scored a Golden Globe nomination and I don’t think an Oscar nod would be out of the question. The other fine performance in the movie belongs to Hanks. This isn’t one of his defining performances but seeing Hanks utilize his comedic talents (which he doesn’t use all that often anymore) is quite a joy. Like Andy alluded to, Tom Hanks knows how to carry a film and he again does it here.
Andy: While Charlie Wilson's War is not a perfect film, it does not have any major flaws. Aaron Sorkin's screenplay is strong with both storytelling and dialogue and it would be hard to ask for much more out of any of the performers. It also walks the precarious line of being politically relevant without coming across as preachy. All of this leads one to believe that when awards start getting handed out, Charlie Wilson's War will be on the receiving end of some of them.
Ryan: Charlie Wilson’s War box-office numbers have under-performed but that isn’t too much of surprise considering the track record of other recent war-themed movies. As Andy mentioned—as opposed to most of those other recent movies—Charlie Wilson’s War’s politics do not get in the way of the storytelling. The movie is not overt in seeing how the events in the movie would go on to influence future political policy regarding the United States and The Middle East. Instead it makes poignant allusions to our present battle of The War on Terror.
Charlie Wilson's War is one of the most captivating movies of the year. The movie entertains as well as informs. Final grade: A-.
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