Movie review of Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson's War - 7/10

Directed by Mike NicholsScreenplay - Aaron Sorkin

Cast - Tom Hanks,Julia Roberts,Phillip Seymour Hoffman

Plot Summary

In the early 1980s, Charlie Wilson(Hanks) is a womanizing US congressional representative from Texas who seemed to be in the minor leagues, except for the fact that he is a member of two major foreign policy and covert-ops committees. However, prodded by his major conservative supporter, Joanne Herring(Roberts), Wilson learns about the plight of the people that are suffering in the brutal Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. With the help of a maverick CIA agent, Gust Avrakotos(Hoffman), Wilson dedicates his canny political efforts to supply the Afghan mujahideen with weapons and support to defeat the Soviet Union. However, Charlie Wilson eventually learns that while military victory can be done, there are other consequences and prices to it that are ignored.

Review

Everytime Phillip Seymour Hoffman is in a scene, its marvelous. This fucker can act and all his lines are funny and cool. I've always like Tom Hanks ever since he did BIG but his make up... his hair..what the fuck...was he trying to look like Nicholas Cage or what? Despite the wig..he does a decent job. Julia Roberts on the other hand looks like a fat cow and can't act for nuts. She should have just stuck to being a hooker. It's also been awhile since I saw om puri act as well. Loved him in City of Joy.
Direction is pretty good in this movie but the editing was so so only. The script is fucking brilliant and you got to thank Sorkin for that. All in all it's worth watching on a weekend. The script and all of Phillip Seymour Hoffman's scenes are worth the ticket money spent.

Best Quotes

Charlie Wilson: You know you've reached rock bottom when you're told you have character flaws by a man who hanged his predecessor in a military coup.

Larry Liddle: Does the Congressman only hire beautiful women?

Charlie's Angel #2: As the Congressman says, "you can teach them to type, but you can't teach them to grow tits."

Gust Avrakotos: [after smashing his boss's office window] My loyality?For twenty four years people have been trying to kill me! People who know how. And do you think thats because I'm the son of a Greek soda pop maker, or because I'm an American spy. Go fuck youself, you fucking child!

Cravely: I don't know why I didn't fire you then. Gust Avrakotos: Oh, I think you know why. Cravely: What's that supposed to mean?

Gust Avrakotos: You're fucking Roger's fiance, and you know I know.

Cravely: I'm not even gonna dignify that with a response.

Gust Avrakotos: Yeah, you're dignifying her in the ass, at the Jackson Motel, Room 1210...

Charlie's Angel #4: The Congressman has never been to rehab. They don't serve whisky at rehab.

FYI - his secretaries are called charlie's angels.

Recommended movies by the director

The Graduate(Dustin Hoffman)

The Birdcage(Robin Williams)
Closer(Julia Roberts) but seriously fuck this movie...it does sucks ass.