CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR
CAROLINE: “Charlie Wilson’s War,” the much-anticipated film starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts is finally in theaters. I’m sure Oprah is thrilled.
RYAN: This movie has an interesting look and really does a good job of capturing the ‘80s, but to quote my pal Lane who saw it with us, it kind of feels like a TV Movie of the Week.
CAROLINE: I didn’t feel that way. I really love Tom Hanks and I hadn’t seen him in anything for a while, so he was fun to watch. He’s one of those actors who really becomes the character he’s playing.
RYAN: I actually had trouble not thinking, “Oh there’s Tom Hanks playing a congressman.” For me more of the thrill was seeing Amy Adams of “Enchanted” fame as his assistant, and I thought, “OMG she’s gotta be so thrilled she’s working with Tom Hanks.”
CAROLINE: We love her, as we love Philip Seymour Hoffman who’s having the best year ever. Forget “Capote,” and go see him in this, “The Savages” and “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.” He’s got two GG nominations already and is sure to get an Oscar nom for something this year.
RYAN: He’s so funny in this movie. He really hits a home run.
CAROLINE: Part of me wondered if it was mostly because of his wacky hair and glasses but LBH, his delivery is perfect.
RYAN: I had high expectations for this film since it’s written by Aaron Sorkin who did TV’s “West Wing” and “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” and he writes a lot of fast-paced dialogue. But there’s really only one scene like that in this movie. The rest was a little slow and didn’t have the impact that I hoped it would have.
CAROLINE: It’ll be interesting to see how this film does since movies about war have been unsuccessful at the box office this fall. But this isn’t about the current war, it’s about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the ‘80s, so maybe it’s more palatable. I thought the story was really interesting. And let’s not forget Julia Roberts… but don’t get too excited for her, because she doesn’t have a huge part.
RYAN: She’s hardly in it and I spent most of the movie wondering if she was pregnant during filming. Then came a scene where she was in a bikini and she has a rockin’ bod.
CAROLINE: Believe it or not, she was almost 4 months pregnant when she shot that. She looks womanly and curvy, which I enjoyed.
RYAN: Her eye makeup is off the hook.
CAROLINE: I’m not sure I saw her forehead move even once in the whole movie though.
RYAN: Oooh! Good call!
CAROLINE: It was taut and wrinkle-free throughout.
RYAN: Perhaps she’s attending the Nicole Kidman School of Beauty.
CAROLINE: Bottom line?
RYAN: Overall, this movie is a little slow and not worth the price of admission. You could totally wait for it on DVD. It didn’t give me what I want when I go to the movies.
CAROLINE: Yes, but you always hate political films. I liked this movie largely because all of the actors are so great. Tom Hanks’s bevy of hot assistants was hilarious. It’s a serious story about a war, but it’s also got some great comedic moments. It’s not my favorite movie of the year or anything, but if you like any of these actors, you’ll enjoy seeing it on the big screen.