Rating of
3/4
Smart with Words
Franz Patrick - wrote on 07/13/08
I thought this was an articulate film even though I didn't learn much from it. I guess it also helped that it shared my point of view about the war since I didn't really want to think because I saw it around one o'clock in the morning. There are three intertwining stories but I think only two worked: the first is Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep's chess-like interview and the second is Robert Redford and Andrew Garfield's conversation about unused potential. The bit about the war was too loud and preachy, whereas the other two are quiet but smart with words. Unsurprisingly, for me, Meryl Streep stole the show because she's elegant even though she's not trying. Every little sneer or scoff says a lot and it was deeply fascinating. Andrew Garfield was engaging as well because I could relate to his apathy. I thought adding the youth's point of view (or lack thereof) about the war is a great move because most films coming out in theaters regarding the war is either focused on adults or simply about guns and explosions. Having a college student's opinion is refreshing. One way this film would've worked better is getting rid of the "actual" war storyline and expanding the other two. I usually complain about films being unnecessarily too long but this one could've benefited with an extra fifteen minutes or so. This film is imperfect but entertaining enough if one likes to think (but not too hard).
