W.

W: An Oliver Stone film about George W. Bush……is this going to be a thrashing or what? To my surprise, Oliver Stone took the straight road instead of taking his normal path that always bends around to the left. The result is a tamer look at W. the man with more of an emphasis on explaining the motives of his actions than making fun of him. Prior to seeing the film, I thought it was going to be a political satire. A satire it is not, making the film all the more interesting. Stone made a film that takes a much more serious look at the 43rd President of the United States. Josh Brolin plays George W. who did an excellent job playing him at many different stages of his life. The film goes back to George’s sloppy college days and does not try to conceal his partying lifestyle. These younger Bush scenes, drunk and out of control, are the funniest moments of the movie. Throughout the course of the film we see the strained relationship between George W. and his dad George Sr. (played by James Cromwell). The movie’s thesis is based on this relationship, suggesting that many of W’s actions were based on his desire to prove something to his dad and make him proud. The story ends with Bush leading the country into the Iraq war. It is these scenes with his cabinet (Cheney, Powell, Rice, Rumsfeld) that I found the most insightful. In the end I came away knowing a little more about Bush and strangely….I felt sorry for him.

Ry's Rating: B

If this movie had parents they would be: Nixon & Fahrenheit 9/11

With a runtime of 131 minutes

This film is rated: PG-13