"Monuments Men" A Monumental Disappointment

By the Movie Maven

I wanted to like "The Monuments Men." Really, I did, with its starry and accomplished cast, the World War II era story and the fantastic art at the heart of a historic rescue mission. 

But there's a lot wrong here. The script could have used considerably more polish - stilted lines and awkwardly inserted plots abound - and most of the excellent cast is grossly underused.

Director and star George Clooney hogs the weightiest lines for himself, but you also get the sense he and screenwriting partner Grant Heslov were caught in between. Perhaps they should have made the tale more epic and longer or streamlined the story to its essentials.

The compromise doesn't work. 

Excellent supporting actors like Bill Murray and John Goodman deserve more meaty scenes and emotional and dramatic moments don't receive enough set up or emphasis as the story zooms by. 

Clooney also is competing for the audience's attention with fellow leading man Matt Damon. The picture as constructed really could shed one or the other and half of the cast, which includes Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin and Hugh Bonneville. 

The tale of how a group of unexpected heroes put their lives on the line to save the world's best known art from the clutches of the Nazis is worthy of big screen treatment. But as of now, it's probably best to turn to the book of the same name for a more fully realized version of the story.