Review - W.

It is perhaps indicative of the quality of this biopic that it is bookended by the most banal of President George W. Bush’s crises: the pretzel in the throat incident. When I heard that the notorious lefty Oliver Stone was going to film the story of the most hated President in living memory, I (like everyone else) expected a savage indictment of the man. In the end this film, like the partial choking, is mildly amusing but ultimately harmless.

The most puzzling thing about this movie is that it completely bypasses the interesting aspects of W.’s life and presidency: the draft dodging, the drinking, the religious epiphany, the wrangling of the 2000 election, September 11th. Instead, Stone and screenwriter Stanley Weiser have chosen to show a few snatches of Yale frat life, a bit of the ‘lost years’ doing various jobs, and then the decision making process leading to the invasion of Iraq. Stone was presumably trying to avoid the ‘controversial’ tag as much as possible by pulling his punches, using the pretence of concentrating on the inner workings of George. Of course, he doesn’t seem to have very interesting inner workings. All we learn is that he has a very good memory, a bad case of sibling rivalry and a rich Daddy who is disappointed in him.

That’s not to say that Stone has portrayed his subject positively. Infamous ‘Bushisms’ are awkwardly shoe-horned into the script to make him look ridiculous. He comes across as an idiot and a rich kid trying to be a good ole boy, but he also seems quite innocent. His advisors, particularly the shadowy figure of Karl Rove, are the ones manipulating his hot head to their advantage.

Josh Brolin plays the current President of the United States with an authentically inauthentic Texan drawl and just the right level of down-home, smirking confidence, and he does well with the material given to him. The rest of the Bush clan are also nicely played. Elizabeth Banks comes across as a very sweet Laura Bush, and James Cromwell is suitably domineering as the elder George. The real let down comes with W.’s inner circle, particularly Thandie Newton as Condoleezza Rice. These parts are just bad caricatures; the scenes in the Oval Office would resemble an SNL skit if the script was at all witty.

All in all, this is a slow, boring, incomprehensible film. I really do not know what Stone was trying to achieve by rushing out this film in time for the election. Perhaps it would have been understandable in 2004, but as there is no danger of W. getting another term, it doesn’t seem necessary to inflict this upon us. The subject of George W. Bush would be better explored by an out and out comedy or by a serious look at his life and motivations. He probably deserves both. As it is, this is a half-baked take on a few scenes from his life. Like the pretzel, it could have done some real damage, but instead is easily wiped from the memory.