A Mighty Heart (Michael Winterbottom, 2007): USA/UK

“A Mighty Heart” directed by Michael Winterbottom and featuring Angelina Jolie seems to be the talk of the town. When looking on www.imdb.com, the reviews have titles such as “Powerful”, “Jolie’s Best Performance Yet” and “Compelling Movie Making”. The positive reviews along with the numerous amounts of award nominees including the Outstanding Performance Award given to Jolie at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, I have to be honest and say that I was expecting a little bit more from this film. To be completely truthful, I found myself a little bored throughout most parts of the screening.

I ended up watching “A Mighty Heart” the last day of the film festival at Santa Barbara’s Metro 4 Theater, only a few hours before Angelina Jolie herself would be showcased at the Arlington Theater and presented with an award from our festival. She is even nominated for a Golden Globe this year. The small summary in our film festival book made me to believe this would be a film worth watching. Although Angelina I felt played her part well, it seemed as if the movie dragged on a lot having unnecessary scenes scattered throughout the storyline. I’m not sure if it was just because I have seen what seems like a million “downer” movies this week, or if it was because I was seeing three movies back to back, I spent a lot of time shifting in my seat and looking around at the crowd. The storyline had potential, yet it I wasn’t convinced on the characters. Maybe there needed to be more character development?

Brad Bird (director of The Incredibles and Iron Giant) had mentioned at the Director’s Panel that a lot of movies have potential, yet if there is not enough character development, when a building falls on one of the characters, the audience is less likely to care as much as if they felt like they knew that character. I felt this movie lacked a connection with the audience.

The movie begins as American journalist (Dan Futterman) sets off to meet with a well-known religious leader in a foreign country filled with terrorism. Although knowing very well of the dangers that could possibly lay ahead, he is excited more than afraid of what he is getting himself into. When he doesn’t show up to dinner that night, or breakfast the next morning, his wife Marianne (Angelina Jolie) begins to worry especially when she finds his cell phone to be disconnected. Over the next hour and a half of the film, everything felt very predictable and it left me with the feeling that I had already seen it before, but a better version of it. Don’t get me wrong; I am a sucker for sad love stories. I’ll be the first to cry and I have no problem admitting it, yet I wished this movie had moved me a little more because it felt strange to be watching the saddest parts of the film, thinking to myself I should be crying, yet I didn’t feel a strong emotion.

I wasn’t too keen on the editing, it seemed very abrupt – which I understand was to add a specific effect. Overall I was just a little bummed with the whole thing. The only reason I would recommend this movie is because of all the positive reviews I’ve heard about it and all of the awards it is nominated for. Maybe it just wasn’t my cup of tea, but I don’t think I would watch it again.