‘W.’: movie review rating higher than presidential approval rating

“I’m sorry Ollie, but it was just too soon.” This was the first thing I said to myself as I walked out of the ‘W.’ screening, and after pondering with that thought for the entire ride home, I can’t say that I was able to convince myself of any consolation. Generally it’s easy for film nerds like me to find something valuable in everything I see, and Oliver Stone does have a few comedic kicks to share in his latest presidential biopic, but unfortunately the result comes up a little short of memorable.

Chronicling the life of George W. Bush, Stone goes back to Mr. President’s early days as he battles alcoholism, a strained relationship with Bush Sr., and a spiritual reincarnation among many other factors that helped him become the most powerful man in America. With a star studded supporting cast that includes Elizabeth Banks, James Cromwell, and best of all, Richard Dreyfuss as Dick Cheney, Josh Brolin brings his A-game to the set (or maybe in this case, office) as he fills the shoes of one of the most hated political figures in history.

Oliver Stone has always been one of the most notorious Jekyll & Hyde directors in Hollywood with plenty of glory to his name (Platoon, Natural Born Killers), along with his fair share of major setbacks (Alexander). For the most part, Stone does know how to take a good look at presidential drama (JFK, Nixon) and create satisfaction for viewers, but in an area that deserves a lot of close examination and research, it doesn’t seem like this particular story was taken as seriously as it should’ve been. And because I’ve been accused of outlining bigger points in smaller stories, I’m calling ‘W.’ a quick skeletal version of what could’ve been an epic biographical piece. The budget was reasonably small, production was rushed, and the quality looks “made-for-television.”
I was a little concerned about how Stone would structure this project around his own personal objections to the central character, but I must give him credit; at no point does the film appear to be taking cheap shots at Bush, or over exaggerating any of the faults his supporters would try to defend at a coffee table debate. And while he clearly displays every little skid mark in the Bush administration, Stone does allow the heavy characterization to sort of compliment the segments, which democratic viewers will enjoy most. He restrains from going over the top, but I could tell by the way he built several scenes that it still killed him not to let the dog have the entire bone.

While the production and structure come off rather shaky, ‘W.’ gets a lot of redemption from its performances. Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) may not quite have the facial look you’d expect, but he does make the tone believable, and the emotion he brings into nearly every scene will grab you in a heartbeat, especially when he confronts his father about living in his shadow as a black sheep. It’s been said that every young man tries daddy at one point or another, but in this case, just sharing a room felt like mixing dynamite with a box of matches. And which man plays which role varies.

Being not so attached to politics, it was easier for me to see ‘W.’ for just a film more so than anything else, and despite several production gaps, it does have a good-size audience that should be able to look past all of that. It’s a simple three act show that begins with the rebellious youth, followed by a spiritual rebirth, and concluded with the presidency itself, which if I may point out, completely ignores the controversy of the 2000 Election, and ends right before the pivotal invasion of Iraq. It’s decently paced, and sometimes even funny enough to keep you engaged for 130 minutes, but once it’s over… it’s over.

Had it been my job to put this project together, I would’ve easily felt that the story deserved to be told, but much like Stone’s last big show, ‘World Trade Center,’ I feel like it came way too soon. A lot of the people I know have already voted, and are ready to just move past the current election (which is nasty enough), and this film certainly won’t help anyone forget the dirty work that goes on within American politics. Not that I don’t mind sharing current events with my parents, but if it were a decade or two down the road, and all of this were a thing of the past, I would much rather have the privilege of seeing this with my own kids and telling them what it was like to actually see it happen; “I was in college, Bush was the president, a lot of people hated him, and they made a movie about it… while he was still in office.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 17 2008. Filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry