Cinematical

There are two ways to watch Charlie Wilson's War. The first way is to watch it like we watch most movies -- go in to be entertained, to experience something outside of our scope of experience -- to leave our lives at the door and encounter something different. The other way is to be critical, having researched the situation upon which the film was based, to see how it diverges, and then decide whether the divergence is acceptable within the realm of what actually happened. One way will give you an entertaining experience. The other will probably result in the film getting under your skin.

I usually get pretty tense over large leaps in the truth. To this day, I grumble at the thought of Girl Interrupted, and the fact that they could insinuate that a character based on a real, live person could be indirectly involved in another's death when it simply isn't true. With Charlie Wilson's War, however, I wasn't completely weighed down by derailments from truth. Perhaps this is due to being warned after reading reviews like James' and Kim's, maybe it was due to the film more omitting facts than completely changing them, or perhaps it was the light delivery of the subject. Whatever the case, Charlie Wilson's War is an enjoyable film weighed down by its decisions of omission.
Tom Hanks stars as swinging congressman Charlie Wilson, a man who is entrenched in the world of sex, women, and libidinous pursuits, but is still tied to his work and worried by the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. His interest in the invasion is increased from passive interest to outright action when one of the wealthiest women in Texas, Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), convinces him to see the results for himself and get actively involved.

And he does. With the help of an opinionated CIA Agent named Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Wilson brings all the pieces together -- not just finding funding, but by making shocking alliances so that all the pieces can lead to action. It seems like a complete creation from a novelist's mind, but Wilson did go out and take it upon himself to help Afghanistan -- a move that took a seemingly out-of-reach goal and made it a reality.

Hanks wipes away memories of some of his more family-friendly pursuits with this film right off the bat -- it's a bit hard not to seeing as he starts it off naked in a hot tub, with strippers and cocaine. His take on the congressman brings to mind some of Hanks' earlier work, and I couldn't help but field memories of Bosom Buddies, Bachelor Party, and the roles that started his career. Julia Roberts, meanwhile, is classic Julia, but in an awkward blonde wig. But the real scene stealer is Hoffman, who breezes in with a full command of his character and makes each scene devilishly funny and completely natural.

On the DVD, you don't have to worry about too many features to eat up your time because there aren't too many -- just two featurettes. The first is "The Making of Charlie Wilson's War," which discusses how everyone embarked on a project to make an "approachable" film, a little on the background of the project, and interviews from a number of those involved. The second is "Who is Charlie Wilson?," a featurette that delves deeper into the world of Wilson. It shares old footage of the ex-congressman, recollections, and discusses Wilson's risque behavior.

While the film does make some obvious, indirect statements about what that actions would lead to, it's disappointing that the future isn't mentioned in the extras. This would be the place to discuss what was left out, or only suggested in the film, but instead, it's talked around. Should there have been references in these featurettes to how very important this story is to our current situation, I would have been much happier about it, but there's just this feeling that it was all edited out.

Yet all in all, to dip into Charlie Wilson's world is an entertaining one. It is the story of determination, and exemplifies the fact that there are two sides to every coin. Some of the big sides aren't talked about outright, but many are. A politician can do dishonorable deeds but still be passionate and active in important matters. A rich socialite can genuinely care about people outside of her circle of reference. A CIA agent can seem completely instable, but be solid when it counts.

Had every side of the coin been dealt with in the manner of what appeared on-screen, this film could very well have been a classic. As it is, Charlie Wilson's War is a light and entertaining look at one very extraordinary political story.