W. Review
By Karen Dahlstrom
Prez Dispenser
Has Oliver Stone softened in his old age? One would think, based on previous works like "Platoon", "JFK" and "Nixon", that his portrait of the man who led us into the Iraq war would be yet another burning in effigy. Instead, Stone offers a surprisingly entertaining, almost sympathetic look at our much-maligned 43rd President.
In light of all we now know about the Bush Administration's blunders concerning the Iraq War, the War on Terror and the current financial crisis, there's little that can be done to save Bush's sullied reputation. Of course, Stone doesn't try. Rather, he attempts to understand the man behind the caricature. Bush's rise from drunken ne'er-do-well to two-term Commander-in-Chief is as fascinating as it is improbable — a twisted take on a Horatio Alger story. Told from Bush's Yale fraternity days through the invasion of Iraq, "W" is a fanciful, satirical look at a well-meaning, yet deeply flawed man who repeatedly fails to recognize that he is out of his depth.
George W. Bush (or "W" as he is known to his friends — "Junior" to his father) is born to money and privilege but fails to live up to his promise. A Texas good ol' boy, W. (Josh Brolin) likes to drink, chase women and avoid work whenever possible. His venerable father, George H. W. Bush (James Cromwell), doesn't hide his disappointment with his namesake. Instead, he favors W.'s younger brother, Jeb.
This rejection by his father, Stone suggests, is the key to understanding W.'s character. Winning his father's love and respect is the reason W. eventually decides to enter "the family business". But Bush's entry into politics only drives the wedge further between himself and his father. When W. announces his run for Governor of Texas at the same time Jeb is running for Governor of Florida, Sr. begs him to wait. Ironically, Jeb loses and W. wins. Sr.'s disappointment in Jeb's loss overshadows his other son's achievement. As W. progresses on the political scene, he begins to emerge from his father's shadow. W.'s belief that his father wasn't tough enough on Saddam Hussein in the first Gulf War and his conversion as a born-again Christian set him apart — and sets the stage for the events to come.
Pounding away at the oedipal conflict between W. and Bush Sr. is the film's greatest weakness. Stone implies that we wouldn't be in this mess if daddy hugged his son once in awhile. Fortunately, Josh Brolin's brilliant, nuanced performance as George Bush keeps "W." three-dimensional. Brolin throws himself headlong into the role, approaching Bush as a character rather than caricature. He misuses or mispronounces words (both in English and Spanish) and signs orders allowing torture over a bologna sandwich and Cheetos(r), but he is also a man who strongly believes in American ideals, even if he doesn't fully understand them. Despite Bush's flaws and foibles, Brolin is able to make the audience almost sympathize with him. In his hands, W. is a man desperate to show he can stand on his own two feet, not realizing that he is being propped up on all sides.
This is most brutally (and comically) apparent in the scenes with W.'s cabinet members and closest advisors leading up to the invasion with Iraq: V.P. Dick Cheney (Richard Dreyfuss), Gen. Colin Powell (Jeffrey Wright), Condoleeza Rice (Thandie Newton), Karl Rove (Toby Jones), Donald Rumsfeld (Scott Glenn), George Tenet (Bruce McGill) and Paul Wolfowitz (Dennis Boutsikaris). Like something out of "Dr. Strangelove", they meet in the dimly-lit war room to plan their attack. Bush relies heavily on them, oblivious to the in-fighting and political posturing between them that will eventually lead to some major missteps going into the war.
While these scenes poke fun at the administration, Stone saves his harshest criticism for the Evangelical Right. W. claims that it is a calling from God, not personal ambition, that compels him to run for President. A scene between W. and the Rev. Earle Hudd (Stacy Keach) is woozily shot with a handheld camera, suggesting an experience more like brainwashing than a conversion. Later, when Bush is asked if he ever asked for his father's advice on Iraq, he proclaims that the only Father he consults is the one in heaven.
As good as Brolin is as Bush, there are many notable supporting performances. As Cheney, Dreyfuss does only the bare minimum to evoke the Vice President's speech patterns and mannerisms. However, he effectively evokes the Machiavellian gleam in Cheney's eyes and his not-so-veiled condescension towards the President. Newton perfectly captures Rice's quavering voice and skittish energy as Bush's quintessential "yes" (wo)man. As "Poppy" Bush, Cromwell is the picture of New England stoicism, contrasted by his sassy, brassy wife Barbara (Ellen Burstyn). And Elizabeth Banks gives Laura Bush a charm and honesty that goes far from discrediting the First Lady.
Though overlong and mired in pop psychology, "W." is nevertheless an engrossing and satirical look at Bush's journey. Rushed to release in order to take advantage of election season, it is questionable whether or not it will change anyone's vote. It does, however, serve as a painful reminder of how much the choice matters.
