The Monuments Men

"Take an amazing true story of a mission to save Europe’s great artworks from the Nazis, add a great cast, including the likes of George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Bill Murray and John Goodman, a decent budget and solid cinematography and you should get a thrilling tale of wartime derring-do. Clooney, who also directs and co-wrote the screenplay, may have been aiming at a sort of Oceans Eight Inglourious Art Basterds, but what he delivers is drab, uninvolving and emotionally flat as a canvas."

"Clooney has transformed a fascinating true-life tale into an exceedingly dull and dreary caper pic cum art-appreciation seminar — a museum-piece movie about museum people."

"An amazing story and an amazing cast don’t always make an amazing film. Too light for drama, not funny enough for comedy; it’s unlikely anyone will ever risk their lives for this."

"Things don’t exactly improve once the action shifts entirely to European soil... yet Clooney occasionally shows a surer hand."

"Clooney can't figure out what kind of story this is, he too often slips into pandering mode, including in his own performance, which is filled with too many smiles and speeches."

"This amiably ancient film is all too stiff - as if Clooney feared that any sudden noise or action would wake his performers up."

"While the film is often playful, it never attempts to be particularly funny."

"Clooney and Heslov fail to settle on a tone, or at least tie the contrasting moods together."

"Something less than monumental..."

"Episodic and never entirely cohering... has patches of excellence, but is inadequately constructed."