The Monuments Men - 3 smiles

“The Monuments Men,” written, directed by and starring George Clooney, is unabashedly old fashioned. There is no cynicism here; the leading characters are genuinely heroic. Clooney and his writing partner, Grant Heslov, based their screenplay on a historical book by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter, but have used dramatic license in creating many of their characters, an unlikely group of overnight soldiers drawn from the ranks of art historians, curators and architects played by Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville and Jean Dujardin. They are assisted by Claire Simone, a French art historian. They bicker and tease but they never lose sight of their mission, whether it’s rescuing a Michelangelo-carved Madonna from Bruges or locating a stash of art already looted by Hitler’s troops. Every one of them is willing to lay down his life rather than see the civilized world lose so much of its priceless heritage.

The film is episodic, a series of vignettes, by turns dramatic, comedic and poignant. We never get to know the characters very well because they’re walking, talking symbols of humanity, fighting on the right side of this war. If the roles weren’t filled by such talented performers, it would be hard to become involved with the narrative. Fortunately, Clooney and company has enough charisma and skill to make up for the superficiality of the material. And the ending reverberates with humanity. I think you’ll like “The Monuments Men.” 2/7/14