Rhetorical Analysis

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The review on the movie “War Dogs” was written by Peter Travers’ in which he writes nothing but positive feedback for the movie. Travers’ purpose for writing the review was to inform the reader about the movie and persuade them to go and see it. He wants the reader to think about what happens in the movie and connect it to what is happening in the governments of the world we are living in today.

 

Travers’ main claim is that the movie was a “contemporary comedy that knows how to make a laugh stick in your throat.” He has nothing but positive things to say about the movie. To further persuade the audience to see the movie, he goes against what other critics are saying. A claim was made elsewhere complaining about the shifting of tones in the movie; however, Travers’ comes back in full defense of “War Dogs” and goes on to say how the tones “do nothing but shift,” and that Todd Phillips, director and co-writer, deserves “credit for letting us feel what they feel.” Going against popular claims forces the reader to want to see the movie more, in hopes of figuring out which claims are true.

 

The intended audience for the review is teenagers and young adults who are interested in seeing the movie “War Dogs.” He could also be aiming the review towards people who take a special interest in the idea or history behind selling military weapons and military contracts. The age group is targeted through the language the author uses to persuade them. Travers’ used complex enough phrases like “irresistible bravura,” and “ravenous mountain” so that you must be a teenager or young adult to comprehend, but used simple enough language that the everyday person in this age group would remain interested. He also used informal language such as “Kudos,” “crazy-ass political absurdity,” and “sleazeball mode” to make the reader feel more comfortable and entertained rather than using formal language that would make the reader in this age group feel as if they were reading for work rather than pleasure.

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Work Cited

Travers, Peter. “’War Dogs’ Review: Jonah Hill and Miles Teller Bring Out the Big Guns”

Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2016, 

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/war-dogs-movie-review-w434655.

Accessed 7 Sept. 2016.