Saturday, October 25, 2008

'W.' Review


W. is Oliver Stone's latest presidential meditation featuring Richard Dreyfuss and Josh Brolin. Watch the trailer: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/w/32645/main
Although I'm a registered Republican, I'm no fan of George Bush and his administration. He will go down in history as one of our worst presidents for his bad decisions. Nobody wished 9/11 on him and we were all behind him on his war on terrorism until he got us involved in Iraq, a mess we cant easily vacate. When I saw the above trailer for W. I told many that the IRS would be auditing its director Oliver Stone for the next 20 years. Here Bush is portrayed as a buffoonish party animal. Since it's an Oliver Stone film I expected dubious history like in JFK or for him to come down hard like in his Nixon.
After seeing W. I'm not sure if this movie is a faithful portrayal of Bush or a comedy or a satire; it's probably a combination of them. I get the impression that Stone started out as a surreal satire but changed his mind to make him more sympathetic. The trailer is misleading as he's not always the fool or easily manipulated by his Cabinet. Yes he says a lot of dumb things, but he stands by his convictions when he feels he's right. The story hinges on simplistic Freud as reckless young George tries to live up to his tightass Daddy's expectations and is always compared to his successful brother Jeb. Barbara the Dragon Lady offers no support so it's up to his faithful Laura who keeps him on the right path.
The casting is amazing at times as certain actors resemble their characters. Richard Dreyfuss can be Cheney's twin and Josh Brolin is uncanny as Bush. Elizabeth Banks' performance as his kind and supportive wife is a tribute to the real Laura Bush we see on TV.
Those who detest Bush will enjoy the comic elements, especially the use of songs to punctuate the procedings, while his supporters will like the scenes where he overcomes the wild ways of his youth and stands up against his father and his Cabinet. Maybe this is what Stone eventually wanted, to please everyone in the audience. However you feel about Bush, you will find something here to relate to in W.

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