Charlie Wilson's War (Widescreen)

I really enjoyed Julia Roberts' performance. Overall, this movie is interesting, funny, sharp, and again relevant to the world today.

Charlie Wilson's War is about a womanizing, hard drinking congressman who is a liberal democrat but stays conservative enough to continue to be elected. Through his positions on House subcommittees, Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) has the power to authorize funding to the CIA for covert operations. It was a dark time in America with the economy flailing and cold-war nemesis USSR having just invaded Afghanistan. Wilson becomes concerned that nothing is being done to fight the Russians. Through the help of wealthy Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), Wilson becomes convinced he has to do something. He teams up with Gust Avrakotos (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) to devise a plan to funnell arms and funding to Afghanistan so no one will know the Americans are doing it.

Director Mike Nichols has crafted a slick movie. It tells a simple story and goes by quickly. While it has tones of being a drama, this really is a comedy. You never get to know who Wilson really is, other than a man who only hires beautiful women to be on his staff and, when he isn't in Congress, is looking for the next good time. Hoffman received awards and accolates for his performance as the foul-mouthed CIA agent. He was amusing, but to me gave a one note performance. Also, his character seemed hidden behind the bushy mustache and the gaudy sunglasses the entire time. Hanks as Wilson and Roberts are fine, but their southern Texas accents don't ring true.

Regardless of your politics, I'd recommend this movie. The movie is one thing, the politics surrounding it are an entire different monster. Thankfully, the film doesn't go out of its way to make a political statement. That would have damaged the movie. Many people may forget just how hated and feared the Soviet Union was back in the 1980s. In hindsight, its obvious to see that America's actions in Afghanistan in the 1980s have played a part in the current world situation regarding terrorism.

Many were responsible for ending the cold war and Charlie Wilson played a part, maybe a big part, maybe a small, but that doesn't matter. The movie tells his story. While hinting at the broader implications of Wilson's actions, the movie thankfully sticks to trying to entertain, and it does a very good job.

Very good movie, true story so makes it more interesting.. the art of being a politician and how much they can really do.

I loved this movie. It is very fun from start to finish; and it's even hilariously funny in places. It is one of the most entertaining movies I've seen in a long time. But, more importantly, it tells the true story of an important event in our recent history that many people don't know much about: America's secret efforts to support the Mujahideen resistance forces in Afghanistan during the decade-long Soviet-Afghan war (1979-89). If you have an interest in Cold War history, or if you want to better understand the background behind the current conflict in Afghanistan, you must watch this movie. Tom Hanks does a brilliant job portraying Congressman Charlie Wilson, a colorful Texas Democrat with a reputation for being a playboy and one of the most ineffective members of Congress, who single-handedly orchestrated America's covert war in Afghanistan. Julia Roberts is also spectacular in her role as an outspoken Texas socialite who was the chief lobbyist for America's involvement in Afghanistan. But it is Philip Seymour Hoffman who steals the show with his portrayal of the gritty, curmudgeonly CIA officer who ran the operation in Afghanistan. Other excellent performances come from Amy Adams (as Wilson's assistant), and Ned Beatty (as a senior member of Congress). I will warn you that the movie is rated R: There is profanity throughout, nudity and sexual content in a few scenes, and drug use in a few scenes (Charlie Wilson was a playboy, after all). So, if that sort of thing offends you, please use your own discretion. But, if that doesn't bother you, do yourself a favor and watch this excellent film. It's hard to believe that a true story can be so entertaining, and at the same time so educational.

I have to honestly say this is one of the most politically biased films I've ever seen. As a conservative, its angle was so slanted that it managed to ruin its entertainment value entirely. Its writer, Aaron Sorkin, is also the author of "The West Wing" which will not surprise anyone once the credits play. The movie begins with Charlie Wilson saying, "That John Murtha is as clean as my mother's floor" in regards to an alleged ethics violations and goes downhill from there. Rudi Giuliani also gets dragged into the muck and his name comes up as a prosecutor trying to keep the protagonist down in a drug investigation (for which he was guilty). Wilson, just as with the majority of his leftist peers, thinks that with individual action the means always justify the ends. He bragged of first falling in love with his country after he manipulated a group of black voters to go to the polls and reject a guy who once killed his dog. As it always is with these people, the personal is political and war is permanently declared on reason.

All sorts of contemporary political issues are alluded to here such as the ACLU trying to ban Christian displays in public spaces. Predictably, Tom Hanks's Congressman Wilson parrots today's leftist talking points. He informs a preacher that he should move his nativity scene down the road to a church. Then he seduces (or is seduced?) by the preacher's daughter. We find that she's sexually fast and smokes dope--but of course! Yawn, are there any other kinds of preacher's daughters to be found in Hollywood films? The message is all the same politically correct counter-cultural dreck by which the left has been undermining this nation for forty years. Most offensive of all, was that of Julia Roberts being a member of the Minute Women, which automatically made her a right-wing crank as if being opposed to communism was somehow more of a sin than advocating for the totalitarian suppression of individual rights and the concomitant extermination of 100 million souls over the course of the last century. The film's abhorrent attempt to indoctrinate spoiled fine performances by Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Frankly, I can't help but wonder why Michael Moore didn't direct this one.