Rated R for strong language, nudity/sexual content and some drug use.
102 Minutes

Written By: Aaron Sorkin
Directed By: Mike Nichols
Staring: Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Roberts, and Amy Adams

Yeah, well I’d like to take a moment to review the several ways in which you’re a douche bag? -Gust Avrokotos

Review

Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) is a Congressman from Texas who has his foot in covert dealings with the country of Afghanistan. He spends most of his spare time womanizing and enjoying the perks that go with being a single man in a place of power. His scope suddenly becomes larger when he sees a way to fuel the Afghan’s liberation and being able to take down the Soviet infrastructure without having the U.S. even fire a weapon. Of course things are always more complicated than that and Wilson hooks up with a CIA operative named Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman) to figure out how to financially and logistically wage their war.

These two were the only really redeemable thing about this film.

The film started off slow, and was less than compelling. While the performances were on and the writing even seemed to have direction something was missing. The film seemed to lack some kind of magic or heart. When Gust Avrakotos walked into Charlie Wilson’s office and offered him a bottle of scotch the film suddenly the had life! The charisma that Hanks and Hoffman had together onscreen saved Charlie Wilson’s War from turning into a complete disaster. It suddenly became enigmatic, engaging, and interesting. The two actors feeding off each other fueled the writing and made the story seem to feel something, rather than just conveying information.

The events that take place after this mesh of acting euphoria are not only interesting but shocking. The covert war that was being fought by the Afghan’s and paid for by the U.S. government and all of the outsiders to move the weapons in a way that wouldn’t lead back to our country and create an all out war between Russia and the United States was full on nail biting suspense. Through the entire film Charlie Wilson seems to never lose sense of his laid back persona, the guy who has an answer to any question you ask him, and even the ones you haven’t thought of yet.

The only part of the film that continued to lack was Julia Roberts performance. I enjoy Julia and think she is a talented actress in general, but this was not the role for her. She seemed awkward with the character of Joanne Herring and even being a southern woman herself I was surprised to find her uncomfortable in her southern drawl. She was completely out of place in the movie and was a distraction from each scene she was in, which was disconcerting considering the information her character divulges about the main plot line.

And she seriously won a Best Actress Oscar!

Unfortunately, too much of Charlie Wilson’s War was lost in the beginning, and distracted with less than savory acting throughout. If not for the brilliance of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Tom Hanks the entire film may have been lost completely. I am still in utter conflict about what to rate the movie, but when it comes down to it, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, which is why I gave it one and a half out of four stars.

Philip Seymour Hoffman: September Review Star

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