W. (Oliver Stone, 2008): USA

Reviewed by William Conlin. Viewed at the Parks Plaza, Buellton.

George W. Bush will probably go down in history as America’s most divisive President and Oliver Stone’s biopic W. certainly fuels the debate. As a supporter of almost everything that isn’t George W. Bush, I am obviously thrilled by this film, but also intrigued at the way he was portrayed.

Josh Brolin as President Bush heads an amazing ensemble including Richard Dreyfuss, Elizabeth Banks, James Cromwell and Ellen Burstyn. His performance will no doubt garner nominations and possibly statues in the coming awards season. What will most likely be overlooked, however, is the true lack of parody. Brolin doesn’t overplay Bush. He skips every stereotype and plays the role as close to reality as possible.

As far as plot goes, if you are going to this film for the story, read Bush’s Wikipedia page. You’ll save yourself nine dollars and two hours. Everything portrayed in this film is fact and if you have been alive for the last few years, you know the story. What made this film interesting is the acting. I’m sure the most overlooked performance of this film will be Jeffrey Wright as Colin Powell. His portrayal of the General battling his inner demons was one of the highlights of the film.

In my opinion, W. holds up well in Oliver Stone’s catalogue of political dramas. At moments he presents his bias, but in others, he lets history provide the details. Bush’s press conferences and media appearances are told verbatim.  Bush’s dream sequences make up the most humanizing element of the film. When life gets too crazy to handle, Bush regresses into his “special place,” an empty baseball stadium. There he stands in center field and tries to catch a long fly ball. These scenes were reminiscent of Helen Mirren as The Queen staring into the eyes of a doomed animal.

Overall, W. gives us a look at a man who, no matter how many times we see and analyze him, we will never understand. In his own seemingly unthinking words, he is constantly “misunderestimated.” I recommend this film to anyone who is interested in a stellar cast delivering stellar performances. W. is definitely not a lame duck.

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Published:
10.17.08 / 10pm
Category:
Films