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REVIEW: 'W' surprisingly unbiased in portrayal of president
STARS: 3.5/5
Natalie Abreu
Issue date: 10/21/08 Section: Focus
The biopic. It's a genre as old as time itself; the kind of stuff that Oscars are made of. And there seems to be no exception to this formulaic rule with the Oliver Stone film "W." starring Josh Brolin, the movie is a surprisingly unbiased look into the roller coaster-like rise and fall (and rise and fall) of current Commander in Chief George W. Bush.
Implementing a sometimes-confusing non-linear storyline of Bush's past, the film depicts the 43rd president at many stages in his life - his partying days at Yale, his womanizing, drunk driving ways in Texas and his rise and fall as a politician. Though one might believe that an Oliver Stone film depicting politics and political figures might be controversial and critical, Stone structures the film as a fair and balanced character study of a man who is simply trying to find himself and his place in the world.
The only problem one might have with the film being biased or mocking the current president is the music. At times, the hokey guitar music lingering in the background of a pivotal scene seems to send the message that Bush is overeager and trying to be a do-gooder in a post Sept. 11 world. Bush in the movie even says that all he wants to do is good in the world, especially after he becomes a "Born Again" Christian, a theme that is overplayed in the film. Bush believes that God wants him to run for president and there is even a shot in the film in which a halo-like fluorescent light hangs over his head in a prayer circle, as if Bush is an angel-like figure. Is he a vessel of God? The film allows the audience to determine this as well as Bush himself.
Something as shoddy as the music of the film is the sometimes-shaky camera work in some parts of the film. It can be distracting at times and might be implemented to symbolize to shaking nature of Bush's life.
What's not shoddy at all is the stellar supporting cast behind Josh Brolin's uncannily accurate performance as Bush. Although much time is put into having all the actors look as close to the counterparts as possible, including Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Karl Rove, just as much detail is put into making them into full-fledged characters. Richard Dreyfus as the vice president especially does good work depicting Cheney as steely and hard-as-nails. Thandi Newton's performance as Rice is mockingly bad seems to be something that would be found on an Saturday Night Live skit rather than a serious political drama.
Although a drama, "W" has its clever and funny moments that will cause a chuckle here and there. There are times where audiences will feel sympathy for the characters, even if their political beliefs might want to tell them otherwise. A scene that Bush sees the real impact on the war as he visits wounded Iraq veterans at a hospital will make the audience think and feel for a man, not just a president. Who knows, maybe one will actually start to feel for the real Bush himself after watching this film.
Implementing a sometimes-confusing non-linear storyline of Bush's past, the film depicts the 43rd president at many stages in his life - his partying days at Yale, his womanizing, drunk driving ways in Texas and his rise and fall as a politician. Though one might believe that an Oliver Stone film depicting politics and political figures might be controversial and critical, Stone structures the film as a fair and balanced character study of a man who is simply trying to find himself and his place in the world.
The only problem one might have with the film being biased or mocking the current president is the music. At times, the hokey guitar music lingering in the background of a pivotal scene seems to send the message that Bush is overeager and trying to be a do-gooder in a post Sept. 11 world. Bush in the movie even says that all he wants to do is good in the world, especially after he becomes a "Born Again" Christian, a theme that is overplayed in the film. Bush believes that God wants him to run for president and there is even a shot in the film in which a halo-like fluorescent light hangs over his head in a prayer circle, as if Bush is an angel-like figure. Is he a vessel of God? The film allows the audience to determine this as well as Bush himself.
Something as shoddy as the music of the film is the sometimes-shaky camera work in some parts of the film. It can be distracting at times and might be implemented to symbolize to shaking nature of Bush's life.
What's not shoddy at all is the stellar supporting cast behind Josh Brolin's uncannily accurate performance as Bush. Although much time is put into having all the actors look as close to the counterparts as possible, including Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Karl Rove, just as much detail is put into making them into full-fledged characters. Richard Dreyfus as the vice president especially does good work depicting Cheney as steely and hard-as-nails. Thandi Newton's performance as Rice is mockingly bad seems to be something that would be found on an Saturday Night Live skit rather than a serious political drama.
Although a drama, "W" has its clever and funny moments that will cause a chuckle here and there. There are times where audiences will feel sympathy for the characters, even if their political beliefs might want to tell them otherwise. A scene that Bush sees the real impact on the war as he visits wounded Iraq veterans at a hospital will make the audience think and feel for a man, not just a president. Who knows, maybe one will actually start to feel for the real Bush himself after watching this film.
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