Charlie Wilson’s War: Review & Trailer
| Movie: Charlie Wilson’s War | On DVD: | April 22, 2008 |
| Runtime: 102 minutes | Directed by: | Mike Nichols |
| MPAA Rating: R for strong language, nudity/sexual content & some drug use | Gecko Rating: |
You know a movie has problems when you come away thinking Julia Roberts was just playing dress-up. Such is the case with Charlie Wilson’s War. It’s not a bad movie, even entertaining in parts. It just falls a little flat for me.
Based loosely (very loosely) on a true story, it tells the story of Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks), a Texas Congressman who masterminded the covert war against Russia in Afghanistan, thus ending the Cold War. Wilson is a fun-loving, womanizing politician who opens the film in a hot tub full of naked women. The booze is flowing and the cocaine is plentiful. Still, Charlie is a good guy who treats his staff well, especially his assistant Bonnie (played by the always wonderful Amy Adams).
More after the jump, including a trailer…
When Charlie meets Texas socialite Joanne Herring (a horribly miscast Julia Roberts in a bleached blonde ‘do), the two pair up in the bedroom and on the front lines of the war. Along the way, they wrangle help from CIA operative Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman), forging alliances and deals with Pakistanis, Israelis, and Washington insiders.
With director Mike Nichols and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin working behind the scenes, you’d think this movie would leap off the screen. And it does have its funny moments and some great performances by Hoffman and Adams. Unfortunately, the pacing is off and the distracting performance by Roberts is enough for me to award it only 3 out of 5 geckos. And I’m usually a fan of Roberts – just not in this movie. Hanks is swell, as always.
DVD Extras: “The Making of Charlie Wilson’s War,” including interviews with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts; “Who Is Charlie Wilson?” A profile of the real-life guy, featuring interviews with Charlie Wilson, Joanne Herring, Tom Hanks, Aaron Sorkin, and Mike Nichols.
Theatrical Trailer:
Images: Charlie Wilson’s War, Universal Pictures, 2007
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2 opinions for Charlie Wilson’s War: Review & Trailer
New on DVD: April 22, 2008
Apr 22, 2008 at 10:31 am
[…] Gecko Review […]
patrick
Apr 22, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts are a classic combination… Charlie Wilson’s War made me feel better about U.S. foreign intervention, it seemed to work out this time at least, though it was in response to another country’s invasion
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