Charlie Wilson's War vs Erin Brockovich

Charlie Wilson’s War is one of those movies that make you feel a little guilty about not paying more attention to the news; or, perhaps it will make you feel a little angry that your news source isn’t giving you the full story. You’re not likely to have heard of Charlie Wilson, unless you read the book upon which this movie is based, and well, you know I didn’t, right? Supposedly, it’s really good, and I assume the makers of Charlie Wilson’s War have read it.

There’s something about Charlie Wilson’s War, though, that seems a little slight. It’s like the makers of the film were afraid of getting too heavy on us, what with the current worldview of moviegoers getting more and more cynical, and the current trend of war movies being that no one will see them. So Charlie Wilson’s War, despite being about the Afghani war against Russian Communism, lasts for barely ninety minutes, most of which are very funny. And as much as funny helps wash down the medicine, I’m not necessarily that guy. You don’t have to make Charlie Wilson’s War more fun for me. The People Versus Larry Flynt is full of ludicrous, larger than life, hilarious characters. But that’s not what I remember about it. What stuck with me were the humanity, the tragedy, and the politics. Charlie Wilson’s War should do the same thing, I think. But no: I’m mainly remembering the funny.

Charlie Wilson, circa 1980, was a congressman from Texas, living sort of a hybrid Hawkeye Pierce/J.R. Ewing lifestyle. He loved hot tubs, beautiful women, and cocaine. He was a yes man at work; by his own admission, his greatest accomplishment in office was getting reelected. His office is populated completely by hot females, dubbed Charlie’s Angels. In one of the sly touches of the movie, and I suppose of Charlie Wilson’s life, the Angels are all intelligent, great at their jobs, and protective of Charlie. Also looking out for Charlie, in a way, is Joanne Herring, a Texas socialite and politico, who wants to destroy Communism, spread Christianity, and arm the Afghans. She wants Charlie to cut through all the political red tape and make it happen. He agrees, partly because Herring made such a good, sympathetic case for helping the Afghans, and partly because Wilson was just so smitten with her.

Soon, they’ve enlisted the aid of the brilliantly named Gust Avrakotos, a CIA operative who is awesome, hilarious and rude, and though he doesn’t fit the Company Man cliché, he’s probably the best man for the job. The trio comes up against one obstacle after another in their attempts to help the Afghans shoot down Russian helicopters, but they keep on, because they believe they are doing the right thing. They were successful, in case you were wondering. And yes, feel free to take a moment and double-check the definition of “successful”. 1980 was a long time ago.

Charlie Wilson’s War was directed by Mike Nichols, in an impressive balancing act of comedy, tragedy, war and unrequited love. We see the horrifying conditions of a war camp in Pakistan , but also a limo full of giggling strippers. This juggling act is helped immensely because Charlie Wilson is played by Tom Hanks. It takes a likable actor to maintain the womanizing, whiskey-guzzling good-time Charlie, but then take us along for the ride for more sensitive moments. Charlie’s a good guy, essentially, and he wants to do the right thing. He also wants to feel good twenty-four hours a day, while living a life that all but guarantees that’s not possible. Julia Roberts is good too, as Joanne Herring. This is the first true character role I’ve seen Roberts in, and it’s a nice change of pace. Under a mound of blond curls and using her southern accent for the first time in almost twenty years, Roberts comes close to disappearing into her role, no mean feat for someone with one of the most recognizable faces on the planet. Her role seems overly-edited though. Joanne disappears from the film for long stretches, at one point returning having gone through a major life change that gets no explanation. Gust is played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, about whom I cannot say enough. After the movie, a friend challenged me on my claim that Hoffman was one of the greatest actors of our time, but I’m hard-pressed to name many others who do what Hoffman does, movie after movie after movie.

Like Charlie Wilson, Erin Brockovich was living a life that her eventual peers would find deplorable. She was a bit on the trashy side, what with the hooker taste in clothes, the foul mouth, and the stack of unpaid bills. But Brockovich had integrity, took on the system, and changed the lives of many people. Did she end communism? Well, no. But she looked good in a push-up bra, and she knew her way around an elaborate string of obscenities. Charlie Wilson would go crazy for this. I kind of do too.

Steven Soderbergh is such a smart director. There are better actresses for Erin Brockovich, just as there are probably better actors for Charlie Wilson. But Brockovich has to be an energy force. She has to blast into a room and command everyone’s attention. She has to be charismatic, funny, and instantly sympathetic. The quickest route to that result is to cast a huge star. Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich is a textbook case of casting up. Who wouldn’t sign her petition? Who wouldn’t let her copy some old files? Who wouldn’t give her a job without a single qualification? I hear a lot of gripes about Julia Roberts winning an Oscar for this part, but I think she’s pretty great in it. I’ve painted a picture of a celebrity stomping around playing herself, but Roberts shows us shades here that we hadn’t seen before. She’s got easy, sexy chemistry with Aaron Eckhart, and makes a great foil for a frustrated, blustering Albert Finney. The peak of her performance, I think, is a long drive home from a meeting, talking on the phone with Eckhart, and hearing that she’s missed her daughter’s first words. Roberts’ face simultaneously shows guilt, happiness and exhaustion (and we can’t even see her cleavage in the scene. It might be doing something too.).

Erin Brockovich is one of those movies that become a little stronger as time moves on. Watching it again, I was really taken by the structure of the screenplay, and how well the story of a character can play like the story of a community, and vice versa. Erin is obviously bettering herself by defending others, but the movie is never heavy-handed about it. Credit must be paid to Soderbergh, who goes an extra mile as director. This could have been a run-of-the-mill whistleblower story, but Soderbergh frames and paces the movie in interesting ways without distracting us with the process. Film stock changes, edits layer a scene over itself, but the focus stays on the story of a town with dirty water, and the one person who could clean it up. So what if she was a bit unpolished. Charlie Wilson could drink her under the table, and that didn’t stop him from getting those Russian helicopters shot down.

Charlie Wilson’s War: B+

Erin Brockovich: A-