W.

This whole thing sounded like a bad idea from the get-go. Why I went to see it was beyond me, really. I enjoy most of the actors and I have enjoyed plenty of Oliver Stone movies, especially his more off the wall crazy movies, which this one looked like. The concept was decided on in March, it was shot in 6 weeks, edited in two months, promoted semi quietly and now it is here. The whole process was only like 6 months, which is kind of exciting and very scary all at the same time. The trailers are all over the top which made me believe this would be something actually worth watching.

The story is straight forward. This is the story of George W. Bush starting in college and ending a few years ago. The movies switches between post-9/11 and Bush's life from his Yale time until he runs for President. We get the major events that are well documented and probably some that are less so. Throughout the whole thing, Bush is presented as a good-ole boy who seems to mean well and is likable but is led around by Cheney and others whom are smarter than he is. Josh Brolin, as Bush, presents a pretty complex character full of inner turmoil. A man with daddy issues, a lack of work ethic and who is unsure of what his future holds. Oliver Stone seems a little timid to go fully crazy. In fact, the whole movie seems a bit timid. I wanted something all over the place and some non-stop zaniness. Instead I got a boring movie that goes nowhere and brings up nothing inventive or interesting.

Some great performances get lost in the shuffle of this mess of a movie. Josh Brolin is excellent, James Cromwell as Bush Senior presents a great counter-point and Bush's staff is filled out with some great performances. Richard Dreyfuss' Dick Cheney is a conniving piece of garbage who plays on Bush' naive nature and Toby Jones' Karl Rove is played as an energetic little man-child who is a little keen on Bush. To round it out is Thandie Newton as Condelezza Rice, as a little girl with a big crush on Bush and in the best performance of the whole shindig is Jeffrey Wright as Colin Powell. Wright gives Powell a nice sense of gravitas that raises above all of the silliness of it. However, enduring two hours of W. almost voids the whole thing.

The jokes almost all fall flat or are so easy, that it is surprising I paid for something that isn't even as good as a good SNL sketch about politics. And, how can you make a movie about W without any mention of the events of 9/11. I get a bit sad even thinking of the whole thing today. I know it is getting good reviews and I should like it because it takes shots at a conservative regime, but I was checking my watch throughout the entire movie.

Final Grade: D-
Performances: B+