Argo

My Grade:  A

Have you ever seen Gone Baby Gone or The Town?  If you have, then you are probably like me and have become a Ben Affleck fan... as a director.  I’m still not convinced he’s a strong actor, though.  But he can certainly make a strong film as is evident in his newest film Argo which is ripe with Oscar buzz.

The story is what makes this film such a standout.  Yes, the actual historical story it’s based on is downright wild (a radical exfiltration of American embassy employees from revolutionary Iran involving a fake movie), but it takes some knowhow to tell it in such a way that keeps you guessing and biting your nails for two hours.  And Affleck has that knowhow.  Before watching this film, you may be familiar with the “declassified true story” that Argo is based on and know how it ended in real life... but Affleck makes you question the possibility of a happy ending up until the last possible moment.

One criticism that Argo has faced is in its representation of Iranians.  This is a valid criticism because Affleck doesn’t portray Iranians in a very positive light in Argo.  Most of them are violent revolutionaries that care for Americans as much as Americans care for cockroaches.  There are a few shreds of light in the dark bounds of Argo’s portrayal of Iranians, though.  These shreds come in the form of housekeepers at the Canadian Ambassador's house (that’s where the American embassy workers hide out).  These Iranian women are kind hearted people... but they are still housekeepers.  I’m personally okay with how Argo makes Iranians look; not because I hate Iranians, but because the historical event dramatized in Argo doesn’t shine a positive light on Iranians... so why should the film?

The problems I have with the film are Ben Affleck’s acting and the character development pretty much across the board.  Ben Affleck isn’t bad but isn’t good.  He’s good enough which doesn’t surprise me, but I want more!  The character development, though, is not even good enough.  Tony Mendez (Affleck) has a lot to deal with in trying to exfiltrate the “houseguests” as the embassy workers were called.  But, on top of that, he has an estranged wife and a son... if a film is going to superficially tug on my heartstrings, be at least a little creative about it, please.  His family doesn’t affect the story one bit.  They just seem to have been added in there in a feeble attempt to raise the emotional stakes.  I understand that Mendez may have had an estranged wife and son in real life, but this is BASED ON A TRUE STORY, not an actual true story.  Filmmakers are allowed to take some liberties.  Beyond that, we learn very little about the houseguests.  We want them to make it out of Iran alive because they are in a bad situation, not because we actually know enough about them to care for them.  They are what we call two-dimensional.

I would be remiss to not mention how absolutely hilarious some parts of this film are.  Alan Arkin and John Goodman steal the film with their knee-slappingly funny turns as the film people Mendez uses to make his film seem real enough to use it as part of the exfiltration plan.  Also, the shots at Hollywood that Argo takes in its Hollywood scenes are unashamedly honest.

Overall, Argo succeeds because of its intensity and fantastic pacing that keeps you on the edge of your seat (to use the old cliche) until the very end.  But it balances that intensity with hilarious Hollywood schtick and a thought-provoking look at the idea of unsung heros.  While the character development is rather weak, it isn’t unbearable and we end up not caring since we are so caught up in the story.  Get used to hearing about Argo as Oscar season quickly approaches.  Best picture?  Maybe...