THE MONUMENTS MEN, Clooney’s latest directorial endeavor, improves marketably on the formula established in the non-fiction book (of the same name) on which it is based, but does manages to suffer from a handful of its own unique pitfalls. Adapting the historical events in a vastly more entertaining way than its source material, THE MONUMENTS MEN is deft and enjoyable, at the cost of being both forgettable and schmaltzy.
Like the book it’s based on, THE MONUMENTS MEN tells the story of the MFAA (Monuments and Fine Arts Administration), a WWII Allied effort to preserve and minimize the cultural damage inflicted on Europe by the Nazi Regime, specifically focusing on the recovery and safeguarding of particular pieces of significant art. Rather than dragging its feet through the bureaucracy of its founding, the film portrays the historical Monuments and Fine Arts Administration (MFAA) in manner much more conducive to an audience. Within fifteen minutes, the premise is established, the characters are introduced in a wordless, pithy, Oceans-Eleven style sequence that frames each character’s particulars much better than a block of dialogue could, and our heroes are riding the boat to Normandy.
There’s no waffling about with the expansive personal history of each and every Monuments Man, there’s no long historical expoundings on the rise-and-fall of insignificant towns in France, Italy and Germany that may house architectural treasures and there’s much more time devoted to the actual art chase, the character’s investment in the work they’re doing and genuine emotional payoff. The film manages to take the dry grist of the text and, in a process one can only imagine as dreary in the extreme, grind out a serviceable historical drama in the process.
Where the film begins to fail, however, is that it’s, unfortunately, not very well made. The direction is primarily shiftless and uninteresting, with few breathtaking or even satisfying pieces of cinematography spread across the whole film. The writing, while initially impressive, continues to slacken and slacken as the film loses momentum. The acting ought to be excellent, considering the wealth of talent found here – Clooney, Damon, Murray, Goodman, Dujardin, Balaban and even Blanchett – but it becomes clear, early on, these heavy-hitter actors are here mostly to bolster characters that would be flat-out boring if portrayed by unknowns.
While enjoyable enough as the story’s begins to unfold and initially beginning with the most humor and lightheartedness, THE MONUMENTS MEN quickly becomes more and more ponderous, until, towards the end of the film, all urgency in the chase is practically vanished, the characters are tossing unearned quips at each other and the war itself – caught between the competing subplot – is concluded in a passing scene, one that barely registers to the viewer as significant. That being said, there are several notable highlights – namely a scene Murray, a shower and a recording of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and, of course, Cate Blanchett’s entire performance as overlooked art curator Clare Simone.
A vast improvement on its source material, THE MONUMENTS MEN succeeds in alerting the public to the valiant work performed by the MFAA, condensing the subject matter into a digestible package and then, in the end, failing to impress as an actual film. As a delivery vehicle for historical awareness, it works. As a well-made or well-executed film, it unfortunately does not.
