W.

Directed by: Oliver Stone

Written by: Stanley Weiser

Starring: Josh Brolin, James Cromwell, Richard Dreyfuss, and Thandie Newton

Release: October 17, 2008

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Oliver Stone is well known for his strange, off-color presidential biographies.  The best way to prepare you for this debut of W. is likely to watch Nixon, which is probably the most sympathetic biography of a corrupt son-of-a-bitch I know of.  With that said, W. is probably going to disappoint a large crowd of people looking for some scathing commentary on evil, dim lighting, plotting, and eating small African children.  For you, Stone does not deliver.

The story begins and ends with Brolin as our president in Rangers Ballpark listening to an empty stadium roaring with cheering fans.  The symbolism, of course, is acceptance and notoriety.  What Stone does so brilliantly is paint the story of a man who constantly was living in his father’s shadow.  Like George W. or not, you have to admire his story.  Breaking away from a life of failure, booze, and drugs is truly an American story.  Of course, what is lightly glazed over is the fact that ‘Junior’ had an awful lot of help from his father from getting out of jail to getting into Harvard business school.  There is much more emphases on W.’s perseverance in overcoming adversity, but it is not by any means a stretch.

I think the biggest complaint about this film will be that people honestly were looking for a den of scary, evil people plotting the demise of the greater Western world.  Instead, what Stone shows is a man driven by his own determination to do what he believes is right.  Plus, there is very little mention of puppetry and none by Dick Cheney.  In my personal opinion, I think it was a necessary angle.  The problem with many people’s views on this Bush presidency is that they truly believe he is an idiot and everyone around him are criminal masterminds just sneaking by the judicial system throwing down their gavel of truth and righteousness.  What Stone does instead is depicts a real guy out there to make things right by his own standards.  Now, you or I may not agree with those standards or those beliefs and we may even think it’s the worst possible thing for this country, by the Bush team is not evil.  And I think that is what Stone is attempting to convey and, I believe, he does it extremely well.

Rating: B