Jarhead on a Tuesday night a few weeks after its opening did not crowd a theater. Unlike many movies, I read at least two reviews ahead of time. The San Francisco Chronicle liked it. The Wall Street Journal (no free link) did not. I suppose I come down somewhere in the middle.
Actors are interesting, especially Peter Sarsgaard in the supporting role… reminded me of John Malkovich. But the introspective tone doesn’t really mesh with the more vivid visuals. I understood the tedium of waiting four months in the desert before the war began, but I didn’t want to feel the tedium. Seinfeld may have been a “show about nothing” but (a) it was comedy and (b) it was 22 minutes an episode. Jarhead isn’t a comedy and it’s two hours long. The time didn’t drag, but I wanted something to happen. Maybe that’s what the director wanted to convey… but if he was successful and I still feel disappointed in the film, what does that mean? Also, the epilogue showing the soldiers’ return home was out of sync with the rest of the film. Strangely, it was too brief. For the characters we care about, their “re-entry” into life outside the military could be compelling. These characters felt real. Their story felt real. Reality, though, isn’t always interesting. At least, it’s not why I go to the movies.
The Metacritic score was 56. Slightly lower than I might have given the film on a 100 point scale, but not out of line.
After the film, I stayed in the brightening theater, searching the credits for a close friend’s name. He spent several months of this year working on this film. Maybe I missed it, but even after the 2nd Assistant Accountant (!!!) was credited, I still hadn’t seen his name roll by. I couldn’t wait any longer than the credits for the staff at the Mexico location. I’ll simply have to learn why the arcane rules of movie credits left him invisible… or how I missed it early on.
Separately, why wouldn’t the website have the full credits available? Sure, not something for the public to have front and center, but why leave it up to IMDB.com to have all the details?