Memorable ensemble enhances 'W.'
Tyler Pietz
Issue date: 10/17/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment
|
At a point in time when the country is faced with a deteriorating economy, an unpopular war that has cost us hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of lives, it seems odd that Stone, often charged with crusading for the political left, seldom takes the opportunity delve beneath the superficial in "W."
Spanning in time from his days as a male cheerleader at Yale University with a C-average, through his first term as leader of the free world, "W." dances back and forth between past and present, offering us a comprehensive, if somewhat incomplete, timeline of Bush's life. Chronicling his failed career attempts, struggles with alcoholism, and numerous family blunders, Stone makes little distinction between the youthful "Bushie" and incompetent "W" (as he is later called) with the exception of his ambition, his "born-again" persona, and the important addition of the infamous "Boy Genius," Karl Rove (Toby Jones).
The high point of the film is clearly the acting. Bush is imitated masterfully by Josh Brolin, a role to which his real-life West Texas swagger undoubtedly contributes. More importantly, Brolin perfectly captures the dichotomy of George W. Bush-a frighteningly incompetent president that you can't help but want to have a beer with. Elizabeth Banks shines as Laura Bush as do James Cromwell as Bush Sr. and Ellen Burstyn as matriarch Barbara.
It's impossible not to mention the memorable ensemble cast tasked with portraying Bush's advisors, with Richard Dreyfuss as Dick Cheney, Scott Glenn as Donald Rumsfeld ("Rummy"), Thandie Newton as Condoleeza Rice and Jeffrey Wright as Colin Powell. Ironically, these characters are mainly there to provide comic relief in an absurd albeit highly cynical fashion.
Regardless of the excellent acting, "W." hardly seems complete. Despite their obvious contrivances, both "Nixon" and "JFK" had depth, something that "W." can hardly boast. "Nixon," a portrait of another controversial president, focused not only on the psyche of Nixon and the people that surrounded him, but how he affected the country and vice versa.
"W." seems to take a much more shallow approach, opting for cheap laughs in place of insight or conjecture. One of the things that made "Nixon" so compelling was it attempted to fill in the blanks of what made Nixon tick. As Stone would tell it, the only thing that motivated Bush was to escape his father's shadow, which I guess, for all we know, could be true.
"W." is now playing in select theaters across the nation.
Be the first to comment on this story