W. Review

Published by Jeff Leins on: October 21st, 2008

Oliver Stone’s W. isn’t the scathing, mocking portrayal of President George W. Bush you might expect from the filmmaker or the advertisements.  Instead it is a subtle portrait of how an alcoholic youth with no career direction became the most powerful man in the world.  While the film does contain a left leaning bias, the story can still be appreciated by either side of the political coin.  Though with Bush’s record low approval rating, I find it hard to believe there is anyone left outraged by this unprecedented biopic of a sitting President.

Parallel plot lines show President Bush in 2003 bumbling through strategy meetings while flashbacks to his past paint him as a charming down-to-Earth Texan spoon-fed into adulthood by George Bush Sr. (James Cromwell).  Legacy got him in the door at various places, but the Bush name could only carry the inept Junior so far.  He’s pounding beers with his buddies when the decision is made to run for political office.

Josh Brolin is brilliant as W.  From the Southern drawl to the nervous titter, Brolin absolutely nails the role.  But what sets it apart as a truly great performance is the panicked fear in his face, a perfect physical representation of the “what am I doing here?” inner struggle of the character.

Oliver Stone’s Bush at least subconsciously understands he doesn’t belong in the White House, but is driven by “born again” divine destiny and the passion to prove himself to a disappointed father.  Bush surrounds himself with people he trusts to tell him what to do or how to say it, played here by Hollywood replicas of the real Cabinet members.

The calculating mastermind behind the throne is Dick Cheney (Richard Dreyfuss) seen carefully manipulating the President in a private lunch session.  Cheney simplifies a global crisis by comparing it to the odds of poisoned lettuce in the President’s sandwich and Bush promptly loses his appetite, clearly not understanding the analogy.  “Vice,” as he’s affectionately known as by Dubya, was a former yes man to his father and is now seizing his opportunity behind the incompetence of the son.  So much so that Junior has to remind Cheney who is President.

Usually content with pulling strings from behind the curtain, “Vice” loses his temper in a debate with the level-headed Colin Powell during a pivotal war room reenactment.  “There is no exit strategy for Iraq!  We stay.”  He hunches in front of a world map and delivers a Machiavellian speech explaining the sinister importance of establishing military bases throughout the Middle East: to create an empire.  Powell grimaces at an administration gone too far, but the rest of the table nods in agreement of the master plan.  Bush finally speaks, knowing he can add the perspective of the common man.  “The average American doesn’t care about oil.  They care about WMDs.”  It’s that lie America went to war on, a fictional conversation in the movie that hits painfully close to home in reality.

The rest of the Cabinet consists of the wild antics of Donald “Rummy” Rumsfeld (Scott Glenn), a horrendous impression by Thandie Newton of the smug Condoleezza Rice, and the political lap dog Karl Rove (Toby Jones).  Meanwhile, Stone makes excuses for Colin “Balloon Foot” Powell with a dissenting depiction by Jeffrey Wright.  At the helm is their clueless leader getting them lost on his own ranch in the Texas heat.

Not one for brevity, Stone’s film sags in places and drags on eager to tell how the disaster turns out.  Even with its length, the character exploration only focuses on Bush and his daddy issues rather than developing any of the many supporting officials.

With its haunting ending, you almost feel sorry for George W. Bush.  Until the lights go up and you remember the harsh reality of an unending, unpopular war and a collapsed economy as the country struggles through the final month’s of his presidency.

3.5 out of 5.