The most fun you’ll ever have while watching Hollywood royalty provide politicians with simple justifications for funding a war. Nichols and Sorkin are supposedly crafting a nuanced satire and subtly implicating these folk in our current global conflicts (it’s not that subtle, just exceptionally concise so that we don’t have to deal with the unpleasant ramifications for that long), but I found it fairly thin, especially since Nichols spends so much time fawning over all his actors and making his protagonist such a lovable rascal (just as long as he’s our lovable rascal, right?). Maybe I’m not bright enough to recognize the obvious, but Nichols’ efforts seem painfully earnest.
I know writers are supposed to write “what they know,” but is anyone else troubled a little by how Sorkin glosses over the subplot involving cocaine and treats the subject of drug use as a harmlessly hilarious action that is just distracting us from more pressing issues? In the grand scheme of things, Sorkin might be right, but I’m still bothered by how quickly he discards this topic.
On a positive note, it’s nice to see that Julia Roberts is no longer even trying to disguise the fact that she is just playing herself in every role.
by Chiranjit Goswami | Source: Universal Pictures 35mm Print
31 Dec 2007 1:36 PM | Submit Comment
