I don’t watch a lot of movies. Too picky I guess. But once in awhile Mrs. Swaim comes up with a winner and says something like, “You should see this.”
So I did.
The movie?
The Monuments Men from 2014. I am admittedly pretty slow culturally, so if you have seen this already, the 4th of July would be a great time to see it again. And if you haven’t…
Based on a true story from a non-fiction book written in 2007, The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter, this movie chronicles the Allied forces attempts to save the great art treasures of Europe from being stolen or destroyed by Hitler.
George Clooney directs the show and also stars in it. He and a bunch of A-listers give the film the feel of Oceans Eleven. Regardless of what you may think of Clooney’s personal politics, he plays a pretty suave dude and I’m sure the rest of the character portrayals were Hollywoodized as well. They are an irresistible cast of characters, which makes this movie terrific fun to watch.
But I must say, Bill Murray steals the show as usual. Some of his expressions and antics are reminiscent of his 1980’s movie Stripes. I kept waiting for him to say, “That’s the fact Jack”. He even climbs into a dentist chair and all I could think of was him and Steve Martin in the Little Shop of Horrors dental scene. I start laughing every time I see Bill on screen no matter what he is doing.
The plot line moves fast, like an Indiana Jones movie. And keeps you on the edge of your seat. There is no gratuitous sex or glorified violence. I get tired of all that.
If you like history and if you have ever seen any of the great art of Europe up close, this is a great way to spend two hours. Just in case you want a glimpse of what you would be getting into: Monuments Men Trailer
Based on the number of movies I just referenced, maybe I see more movies than I thought.
Happy 4th!
Cheers,
ks
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay