W. - Movie Review

W. - Movie Review

W. (Dir. Oliver Stone, 2008)

W. surprised a lot of critics when it premiered in 2008 less than a month before election day. The country was expecting a much more sarcastic and spiteful film from Oliver Stone, one with controversial assertions and perhaps a new conspiracy theory for TV pundits to debate.

Oliver Stone barely succeeds in making his George W. Bush (Josh Brolin, inhabiting the role and probably harshly overlooked for some award nominations) a somewhat sympathetic and multidimensional character, which is quite remarkable under the circumstances. He’s depicted as well meaning and affable but simple, simplistic and out of his depth.

The problem is he’s not a particularly interesting person. His back-story, while important in understanding who he is and where he comes from, lacks a certain dynamism. As a result the film flitters between its more laboured moments and its intriguing moments, such as scenes with his political and eventually presidential father (James Cromwell).

The best scenes are when Bush is surrounded by his cabinet staff, some of whom fare better than others in their portrayals. In these scenes, they all try and persuade him of their agendas, sensing his malleable mind. This backfires after the WMD fiasco as they all try to search for someone to blame. Stone suggests that Bush’s erroneous trust of those around him ultimately destroys his legacy.

Verdict:

Stone spices things up with some interesting photography but the film is tonally muddled at times. Provocative moments being accompanied with twee music are jarring and W., though a competent film overall, occasionally loses its balance on the tightrope between humour and seriousness.

Rating:
**