Gplden Oldie 28: Charlie Wilson's War

 Well, heck!  I really liked this movie the first time I saw it, and I looked forward to a lot of pleasure viewing it again.  But this was not to be.  Maybe it was the backdrop of OUR misadventures in the same place (Afghanistan), or maybe it’s just that I have become old, crotchety and hard to please, but I am going to rate this movie a dismal C+.

Charlie Wilson’s War came out in 2007, under the direction of the always able Mike Nichols.  The nominal stars are Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts; the real stars are Phillip Seymour Hoffman* and a hair flopping Amy Adams.

To some extent this is a true story.  Hanks plays Congressman  Charlie Wilson, a hard drinking, coke snuffing, gun tot’n good old boy from somewhere in Texas.  There was such a guy, and Hanks depicts him well.  Roberts is handed an absolutely stupid role and does the best she can.  The real joy in this movie is Hoffman, a (fictional?) foul mouthed, exquisitely cynical State Department under-honcho. 

The story is to some extent  based  on fact.  There was a Charlie Wilson and he did play a major role in arming the Mujahedeen, resulting in the (orderly) withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.  Subsequently, owing at least in part to our failure to help rebuild the country, the Taliban took over, welcomed Al-Qaeda, and attempted to protect Osama bin Laden and the boys after 9/11,  This, as you know, led us (the US) to invade, resulting to a decades-long war that cost many lives and billions upon billions of dollars.  And the result?  Of course, just recently we too retreated from Afghanistan, with our tails firmly between our legs.  At least the Soviets made an orderly retreat; we, on the other hand, botched the whole damned thing, in spades.

If only they had listened to Charlie Wilson!

*Hoffman was a wonderful actor.  He died at age 46 of an accidental drug overdose.  So much talent squandered! 

Well, heck!  I really liked this movie the first time I saw it, and I looked forward to a lot of pleasure viewing it again.  But this was not to be.  Maybe it was the backdrop of OUR misadventures in the same place (Afghanistan), or maybe it’s just that I have become old, crotchety and hard to please, but I am going to rate this movie a dismal C+.

Charlie Wilson’s War came out in 2007, under the direction of the always able Mike Nichols.  The nominal stars are Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts; the real stars are Phillip Seymour Hoffman* and a hair flopping Amy Adams.

To some extent this is a true story.  Hanks plays Congressman  Charlie Wilson, a hard drinking, coke snuffing, gun tot’n good old boy from somewhere in Texas.  There was such a guy, and Hanks depicts him well.  Roberts is handed an absolutely stupid role and does the best she can.  The real joy in this movie is Hoffman, a (fictional?) foul mouthed, exquisitely cynical State Department under-honcho. 

The story is to some extent  based  on fact.  There was a Charlie Wilson and he did play a major role in arming the Mujahedeen, resulting in the (orderly) withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.  Subsequently, owing at least in part to our failure to help rebuild the country, the Taliban took over, welcomed Al-Qaeda, and attempted to protect Osama bin Laden and the boys after 9/11,  This, as you know, led us (the US) to invade, resulting to a decades-long war that cost many lives and billions upon billions of dollars.  And the result?  Of course, just recently we too retreated from Afghanistan, with our tails firmly between our legs.  At least the Soviets made an orderly retreat; we, on the other hand, botched the whole damned thing, in spades.

If only they had listened to Charlie Wilson!

*Hoffman was a wonderful actor.  He died at age 46 of an accidental drug overdose.  So much talent squandered!