W (Lionsgate)
Bland
Those who hate George Bush are going to love Oliver Stones W. Those who love George Bush are going to hate W. Those who are indifferent about George Bush are probably just going to be bored by the movie. It doesnt have a great script, doesnt offer any startling insights, and mostly just wastes the talents of all those involved.
The film flashes back and forth from Ws presidential days to his college days and beyond. We see the young W (Josh Brolin) as a rowdy college student who always calls on his father (James Crowell) when he gets into trouble. Their relationship is rocky as W seems to have a fear his family thinks more of his brother Jeb (Jason Ritter) than they do of him.
The movie also sketchily shows him meeting Laura (Elizabeth Banks) and later marrying her. The greatest revelation about Laura is that she smokes. Their relationship is not explained at all but neither is his relationship with his father and mother (Ellen Burstyn).
Cameos abound in this movie with Condi Rice being played by Thandie Newton, Dick Cheney by Richard Dreyfus, George Tenet by Bruce McGill, Colin Powell by Jeffrey Wright, Don Rumsfield by Scott Glenn, Karl Rove by Toby Jones and on and on. It would have been nice to have some information as to how Bush met and assembled this group but none is given.
There also is no detailed information revealed as to how Bush became a convert to Christianity. One moment he is drinking heavily and the next thing you know he is born again. He has a conversation with an evangelist (Stacy Keach) but that doesnt really reveal anything about the circumstances of his turnaround.
The acting in the film is mediocre. Brolin never seems to get the essence of Bush and his aw shucks attitude plays out early. Banks is a cipher as Laura and Dreyfus plays Cheney as an older Dreyfus. Thandie Newton does manage to submerge herself in the role of Condi Rice.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity and mild violence.
Oliver Stone can usually be counted on to add some spice to his political films but in this one he keeps the hatchet hidden. He paints Bush as likeable, amiable, hesitant, inept and blundering, but not malicious. In keeping the portrait tinted this away he also makes a movie that is tedious at times and difficult to follow. It is not one of Stones best efforts and he seems to be counting on the Bush name to make people interested. It seems that ship has sailed and taken the interest with it.
The curious will turn out for W but they wont tell their friends they have to see it. That leaves only an audience of Bush haters to pay the price of admission.
I scored W a political 4 out of 10.
