At a certain point, the only thing funny about this war satire, War Machine, is Brad Pitt’s accent.
Based on the nonfiction book The Operators by Michael Hastings, War Machine follows fictional General Glen McMahon (Brad Pitt) as he is sent to Afghanistan in 2009. McMahon and his team are certain they can win this war through counter-insurgency measures. Of course, history exists, so the more confident McMahon becomes in attaining this goal, the bigger he fails. War Machine was produced by Pitt, and also features Ben Kingsley, Topher Grace, and Tilda Swinton among others.
War movies can succeed in being funny or satirical, and this has worked in the past with great results. War Machine starts out looking like it will follow this path. However, about halfway through, War Machine shifts into a completely different movie. There are enough jokes every so often to make the change unnoticeable, but suddenly the movie becomes unwelcomingly serious.
Leading up to this point, War Machine is very aware of itself, knowing not to take itself too seriously. In a comedic war movie, there is a thin line, and War Machine is careful not to cross it at first. However, instead of going too far, War Machine runs in the other direction, and becomes a drama. General McMahon is having dinner with his wife and there is nothing in this scene that is funny. War Machine gets weighed down by the subject material, and loses all leverage over it to bring any humor.
War Machine has labeled itself a “satire” and is too scared to be anything else. Some of the funniest moments in the first half are so subtle they could be easily missed, but if caught, are greatly rewarding. Much of this humor is attempted through a Rolling Stones reporter, Sean (Scoot McNairy), based on the author of the book, who narrates the movie. His narration largely stops once this character is introduced as a part of the story. Once he enters the story, we lose his outside perspective which comments on the absurdity of McMahon and his actions.
This would not be problematic, however, if McMahon and his team were ridiculous enough for the audience to not need a narrator to explain that he is. Apparently, the book is hilarious because it shows these soldiers being completely unperceptive to their over-the-top actions. However, in War Machine, despite McMahon’s actions, he and his team are too sympathetic. The only thing over-the-top about McMahon is his accent, which seems to take the place of any actual comedy in the second half.
With the premiere of Netflix’s upcoming original movie Okja at Cannes this past week, there has been much conversation about Netflix’s involvement in distributing films. On one hand, they are giving a platform to creative content, which, unfortunately, has largely been ignored by major studios in the current state of the industry. On the other hand, if a movie is released on Netflix, the audience does not get to have the classic movie going experience.
This argument is especially relevant to Okja because it is supposed to be an intensely visual film, not meant to be viewed on a phone or laptop. War Machine, however, is the perfect candidate for Netflix. Although it is a war movie, it is almost completely dialogue driven. The one actual battle in the movie is not even all that cinematic. War Machine would have been the perfect movie to prove Netflix’s relevance in releasing original movies; however, it is unfortunate that this is a disappointingly mediocre example.
Without the humor, War Machine loses all of its strength. It cannot maintain interest solely as a drama, and quickly becomes dull without any reprieve. Similarly, at this point, War Machine focuses only on plot, and the wide cast of characters who were painstakingly introduced are completely tossed aside. What could have been a strong dramedy, like Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, or alternatively, a broad comedy, feels awkward in its current designation as a satire, shifting for the worse from comedy to drama. At least, the first half is easily enjoyable, and the second half is at its worst, simply tedious.
Grade: B-