It’s easy to see why new audiences would be drawn to “The Monuments Men” on Netflix. The movie sees a reunion between George Clooney and Matt Damon, who were impeccable together in the “Ocean’s Eleven” series. “The Monuments Men” is actually somewhat similar in premise to that film, as it also involves a heist of sorts with the ragtag group of Allied forces attempting to preserve noteworthy art. Sadly, the film didn’t seem to hit the same notes as “Ocean’s Eleven” with critics, but the movie does have some supporters in its corner.
One such defender is Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post, who ultimately came out in favor of Clooney’s directorial effort, writing, “If ‘The Monuments Men’ never overcomes its unwieldy structure and unevenness of tone, the film still manages to make a profound, even subtle point: that Hitler’s darkest impulses and annihilating reach extended from human beings to history itself.” That unevenness in tone is something that comes up in many reviews, but that didn’t deter Lou Lumenick of The New York Post from writing positively about it: “Clooney’s low-key directorial effort is not quite an Oscar-caliber movie, though it’s got a great cast, a worthy theme and plenty of things to reward adult moviegoers.”
That great cast and intriguing plotline may be what’s enticing people on Netflix to check it out. If nothing else, watching “The Monuments Men” provides context to a bizarre on-set prank Clooney did on Damon while filming.
