Review of W. (2008) by Gordon I — 13 Apr 2013

Oliver Stone is a very political director, to say the least. He's also a very liberal director. We know that, and we expect that. We've seen it in his past films, such as, 'JFK', 'Born on the Forth of July', 'Nixon', and 'Platoon'. What we aren't expecting is that his new film, 'W', based on the life and career of George W. Bush, is not a satire, and is not a bashing Bush affair, as I and so many other people thought it would be. Let's admit, it would have been funny, but at what cost? What we get instead is a thought provoking, fascinating, and entirely unbiased, truthful film that looks at George W. Bush from HIS point of view.

The film suggests that W.(Josh Brolin - Oscar Worthy) was overlooked by his strict parents, in favor of his brother, Jed Bush. W. never wanted to be President, didn't dream of it, until it became a matter of proving himself to his parents, his wife, his God, and the world. The movie looks at W. as an extremely religious man who just wants to please God. It also suggests, and is probably right, that W. was manipulated to go to war by the selfish and exploitive Vice President, Dick Cheney(Richard Dreyfuss - Oscar Worthy).

Now, the film guesses as to who said what, but we know that these things were said, not necessarily by whom. The movie also guesses that W. thought that Saddam really did have weapons of mass destruction, and was simply misinformed. This is a surprising version of the story, especially considering that Oliver Stone is directing. But, that's what makes the film great.

If you are in support of Bush, you will probably like the film, as it does empathize with him and his family and their love for one another. If you are against Bush, you will probably still like the film, as it does suggest the fact that Bush was not prepared to be in the position that he's in, and that he did fail, despite trying his hardest to do what's right. It is not a ruthlessly, unwilling to offend political showcase like 'Swing Vote' was. It is honest, unbiased, but very much willing to say what happened and who should, ultimately, be held responsible: W.

I predict Oscar buzz for the film. Lately, though, the academy has been very unpredictable in their nominations. I will say that I will be shocked if it isn't nominated for anything. All the actors deserve awards, and Oliver Stone, though he has won for Best Director, has never made a film that has been able to grab the Best Picture prize. Maybe this is it? I don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait and find out, won't we?