Stop-Loss Bombs

Despite tackling a current event and starring mega-hunk Ryan Phillippe, the movie Stop-Loss has officially tanked worse than a Martin Lawrence comedy. It has grossed a crappy 4.5M it's opening weekend despite a massive advertising blitz. I'm a little, uh...hunkered down right now, so I was unable to see it, but GI Kate, Alex, and Jon Soltz, all of whom are vets, weighed in on the movie. This flick may bring up a significant problem with the military, but it looks like America might not be interested. I could take the cynical-jackass route and proclaim that Americans are a bunch of dickfaces, but I think the problem may lie with the lack of authenticity. Hollywood likes to portray the military as goofball hicks, and it seems phony when they try to make a meaningful movie about Iraq, since their take on foreign policy is so misinformed. My personal hero, Greg Gutfeld, sums it up best:

Look - we don't need war movies to remind us that war is bad - we know that. Plus, mainstream media is already doing a bang up job ramming home that idea - even to the point of ignoring good or encouraging news about the conflict.

But I guess what bothers me most about the flick is being lectured by people who are fundamentally more flawed than the rest of us. Really, is the act of stop-loss worse, on a personal level, than cheating on your wife and mother of your two kids - with your saucy little costar? I'd ask Ryan Philippe that, but I'm already over him. He's no Orlando Bloom.

And if you disagree with me, then you sir are worse than Hitler.

I'm with Greg, in that I don't want to shell out 10 bones to hear about Iraq from some flaming douche sipping a martini at the Sky Bar. I think the best Iraq movies will be made by Iraq vets, much like the great Vietnam movies (Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July) were made by an Nam vet (Oliver Stone). Hollywood is just way too out of touch with the military to get it right. In the meantime, check out this post on IRR callups from Iraq Partii to grasp the problems with filling spots in a war zone, or check out the new PBS special, Bad Voodoo's War which sounds like it will be pretty good. The Iraq war movie that wins an Oscar may be a long way off.

Pretty people couldn't even save this colossal dud