Argo: Proves You Can Love (movies) Again

  For the 3 people who have actually read all of my movie reviews/random-long winded-unfocused-blogs, you’ve probably noticed that I seem to hate everything. It’s like I’m the Ebeneezer Scrooge of movie reviewers. It would be an accurate observation. Most of these movies have actually made me question why I ever loved movies in the first place. But this week I was asked to review Argo, and all I can say is OMG! I DIDN’T ACTUALLY HATE IT! After countless, meaningless dates with ugly, boring movies that had nothing to offer me, and that didn’t share any of the same interests as I did, I was beginning to wonder if I could ever love again.

And while Argo wasn’t the love of my life, and I don’t really see the relationship going anywhere; it was interesting enough to let me know I can still have feelings for movies, that my heart is not some cold, dark dungeon of loneliness and hate.

Directed by Ben Affleck, Argo stars the director himself, and the very talented John Goodman, Bryan Cranston, and Alan Arkin. The film is loosely based on the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis and the CIA’s attempt to extract six members of the US embassy who managed escaped capture. With the entire country looking for them and airport security being tighter than my pants after an all you can eat Chinese buffet, CIA specialist Tony Mendez (Affleck) had to get very creative with his plan for returning the six back to the states. His idea was to give them cover identities as location scouts for a Canadian film company scouting Iran for a made up movie called Argo (which looked like a cheap rip off of Star Wars—I think I would have hated it almost as much as I hated The Expendables 2).

While not as good of a “1960-70’s Middle Eastern espionage-ish, loosely based off of a true story” film as Munich (an awesome 2005 Spielberg film), it does have many redeeming qualities—you could say that Argo is the Dunkin Donuts to Munich’s Krispy Crème.

The acting and script really carry this movie. Also, aspects like set and costume design, cinematography, and soundtrack, while not mind blowing or really noteworthy, provide a historically accurate platform for the rest so that we are entertained. This movie is surprisingly funny. I didn’t expect a sort of light hearted romp through a rioting Iran thirsting for American blood, but that’s what I got, there were even some moments where I laughed out loud. And it’s been a while since I’ve actually laughed with a movie as opposed to laughing at a movie.

Where this movie lacks perfection is that it misses the mark in its more suspenseful moments toward the end. As the Americans start to make their escape right under Iranian noses, the plot gets a little too liberal with the actual true story and you can tell. Coincidences start happening that become too coincidental to be real and at one point we are asked to believe that Iran was not capable of devising a system of communication that allowed airports the capability to stop planes from taking off before they have even been boarded.

For all you thousands of ladies who read my reviews and dream of one day being married to an accomplished and famous writer such as myself, I would liken Argo to the witty guy you meet at a bar. He is hilarious and he seems fun, and wit denotes intelligence right? But the more you get to know him, the more it becomes clear that he is sort of dumb and as the jokes get old you realize he isn’t really all that interesting.

So, in essence, Argo is a lot like dating me. I encourage you to go see me, it will be lots of fun and you will enjoy it. And while you won’t fall in love with me, I will make you feel like you can love again after all those terrible excuses for dates you’ve been on in the past.