The main “problem” with this George Clooney directed (and headlined) movie is that it should have been so much better than it is.
What Works: How do you round up a cast that includes John Goodman, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, etc. and not make it more lively than this? Sure, Bill gets off a couple good lines and who wouldn’t watch Goodman in just about anything, but they’re largely wasted. As is, the most memorable scenes involve Damon and Clooney shooting the breeze effortlessly, two charming guys who are really testing the “will they watch us read the phone book?” theory.
What Doesn’t: Did I mention the movie is slightly boring? Did I mention that not a lot happens? Did I mention that it largely squanders a compelling cast? Did I mention that I nearly fell asleep during some of the middle stretch?
What I Would Have Done Differently: I feel like WWII is nearly exhausted, but a film about art historians trying to save masterpieces from being destroyed by Hitler shouldn’t feel this been there-done that. It is at least a somewhat original premise.