Charlie Wilson's War--Fast, funny look at how US helped Afghanistan beat Soviets

**** (out of 5)


In Charlie Wilson's War, Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman teaming up to beat the Russians in Afghanistan is like the funniest Hope and Crosby "Road..." movie ever, with Julia Roberts along as Dorothy Lamour. In fact, there is one very funny scene revolving around Congressman Tom Hanks' office that would fit in perfectly in a classic Neil Simon comedy.

Hanks plays Charlie Wilson, a real-life Texas Congressman, who ran high-powered weaponry into Afghanistan covertly 20+ years ago to help the Afghans win the first war against the USSR in history. It is no mere coincidence that two years later the Berlin Wall fell and the Cold War effectively ended. But while the history is very enlightening, it's the comedic performances of the two leads that will make this repeat viewing for me on HBO in a year.

Hoffman plays Gust, a very smart CIA operative who's the son of Greek immigrants and who keeps reminding people where he came from. He wears his lower-class upbringing like a badge of honor and is determined to outsmart every rich person he comes in contact with. His main problem is his fiery temper and a big mouth. He spends three years learning Finnish, but will never get the Helsinki job because he tells his boss to go "F*** himself." He's funny alone, but the interplay between him and Hanks is priceless. It really makes you wish Hanks would mix more comedies into his repertoire, he's so subtly funny.

Of course, you don't get to play many characters like Charlie Wilson, who drinks habitually, has been known to snort coke with strippers in Vegas and staffs his Congressional office with all women who might better serve the Playboy mansion. He even has a great nickname for his staff that drew loud laughs from the men in the audience, "Jailbait."

This movie does not play up its 1980 roots for cheap laughs about clothes or other fashions. No, where you get your biggest kicks is in how the mores have changed since then. Like having your female staff all wear low cut blouses and having them make you drinks during work hours. "Like Charlie always says, 'You can teach a girl to type, but you can't teach her to grow (breasts).'" Charlie's like Congressman Dean Martin.

The one drawback, Julia Roberts. She is a good actress for parts made for her, but playing a politically Conservative Texas dragon lady, does not suit her at all. Christine Baranski could have knocked this role out of the park. Julianne Moore would have even been better, because she's younger (think of her in Big Lebowski). As Charlie's illicit lover and I think biggest contributor, there is one scene that is very important to the film and she plays it so underwhelmingly that I was thinking, why is Charlie Wilson interested in her? The only cool thing she does is separate her eye lashes with the point of a gold safety pin. I wouldn't even put contacts in my eyes let alone wave a pin one inch from them.

Mike Nichols might be the only director who could blend the miseries of war, so confidently with the obvious humor of Washington. Aaron Sorkin, creator of The West Wing and A Few Good Men, writes a very witty script, something he failed to do with his TV bust Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

The Freditor