Stealth Entertainment: Charlie Wilson's War
By Scott Lumley
December 1, 2008
BoxOfficeProphets.com

You're a little bit taller than me, but my hair makes up the difference.
Hollywood is a machine. Every week, every month and every year countless films are released into theaters and not every one is as successful as the studio heads would hope. Sometimes the publicity machine was askew, sometimes the movie targeted an odd demographic, sometimes the release was steamrolled by a much larger movie and occasionally the movie is flat out bad.

But Hollywood's loss is our gain. There is a veritable treasure trove of film out there that you may not have seen. I will be your guide to this veritable wilderness of unwatched film. It will be my job to steer you towards the action, adventure, drama and comedy that may have eluded you, and at the same time, steer you away from some truly unwatchable dreck.

Hopefully we'll stumble across some entertainment that may have slid under your radar. Wish us luck.

Charlie Wilson's War (2007)

I know on the outside we at BOP seem like a easygoing if somewhat picky bunch, but appearances are deceiving. Behind the scenes we tend to pick the movies we love and hate and defend those positions with the kind of ferocity reserved for gladiatorial combat and pre-Christmas shopping. Recently I wrote an article on Speed Racer where I showed... let's say a large amount of disdain for the film. There was no physical violence directed at me for that little opinion, but my insurance company would really like to know who set fire to my car. Likewise, David Mumpower recently confided to me that he feels that the Star Wars franchise may be the most ridiculous in movie history. I'd generally be ok with that statement if he had just used the quantifier of ‘Except for the Empire Strikes Back', but he didn't, so now I'm waiting for an opportunity to punch him in the kidney.

You should see the office when a really polarizing film comes down the pike. It's like a less co-coordinated, tone deaf version of West Side Story. Fortunately, there haven't been any fatalities yet, but with Watchmen only a few months away I think there's a good chance it might happen. We're all over the place opinion-wise on that one.

However, every once in a while, a film comes to us so pure, so well-produced, written and acted and paired with such a compelling story that all of us line up and salute. (And not just as an opportunity to punch somebody in the kidney.) Charlie Wilson's War is one of those films. If anybody at BOP has something negative to say about this film, I certainly haven't heard it.

Charlie Wilson's War stars Julia Roberts as Texas socialite Joanne Herring, Philip Seymour Hoffman as the profound yet foulmouthed CIA agent Gust Avrakotos and Hollywood's equivalent of Albert Pujols, Tom Hanks, as Charlie Wilson. It's a more than capable cast.

Yet, with this cast, with this fine, compelling, informative and often funny story, Charlie Wilson's War only made $66 million domestically against a $75 million budget. The worldwide gross topped $111 million to thankfully make this film a slight financial success, but I have to wonder what went wrong. Why didn't more people see this film? Was the subject matter too recent? Was it marketed incorrectly? Are we sick of Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts?

It's a question that I certainly can't figure out. The movie is flat out excellent and completely entertaining at every turn. Charlie is a rascal of a US congressman, and he likes his whiskey and pretty girls probably a little too much. He tends to push things a little too far, but always stops just at the point before it's going to cause serious trouble. He stumbles from event to event half loaded and picking up random women and connections along the way. The women are fun but it's the connections he casually makes that make him one of the key players.

Charlie casually raises the budget from $5 million to $10 million for covert warfare for the CIA in Afghanistan, and this brings him to the attention of Gust, a passionate if somewhat blunt CIA analyst. Gust introduces himself to Charlie by bringing him a bugged bottle of Scotch and by telling Charlie that it was nice that he doubled the budget for covert action in Afghanistan but the budget is still pretty much a joke.

Despite Gust's unique manner of introducing himself, Charlie listens to him intently and starts a personal crusade to get the oppressed Afghani people the money and weapons that they need to protect themselves. The two make the rare team, one that compliments each other, respects each other and trusts each other. It's nice to see in action. Both Charlie and Gust take turns backing each other up and keeping the other from stepping into something they shouldn't. I wish all politicians could work like this. We'd have world peace, cancer would have been cured, and the stock market might not be flushing itself down the toilet.

The team gets backed up, whether they want her or not, by Joanna, the Texas socialite millionaire zealot. Joanna is determined to save the women and children in Afghanistan, and she is not afraid to bend ears and twist arms to do it. Her fervor is intense and a little confusing, as she is a hardcore Christian that is totally immersed in the events of a war taking place in a Muslim country.

With these three leading the charge, Charlie and Gust go on a bit of a whirlwind tour across the world to bring people in on the cause. Backers are found, budgets are increased and the war gets surprisingly violent in a hurry. While it's nice to see the film include some rather ugly action, that really isn't where the film clicks. The meat of the film is in the clever, flowing and completely natural dialogue. Watching Charlie, Gust and Joanne work over each other and the people they need to fall in line is a terrific treat. Gust is sarcastic and smart, Charlie is goofy yet smooth and genuine and Joanna is passionate and blunt. All three are completely organic characters that are extraordinary yet feel like someone you might have met or know.

This is a really well done film. It's entertaining and thought provoking and excellent in every regard. It even has the neat trick of providing a Hollywood ending without cheapening it, because as Charlie learns late in the film, just because the war is over, that doesn't mean the work is done.

Charlie Wilson's War is without a doubt one of the best films I've seen in a while. And I say this in a year that provided me with my ultimate summer, film wise. It's not the best movie I've ever seen, but it's certainly up there. Too often we watch films for mindless entertainment to relax, Charlie Wilson's War is the antithesis of that kind of film. It demands your attention and rewards you for it. Rent it, buy it, or catch it on cable. Charlie Wilson's War is a movie that you should have seen by now. It's worth your time.