Comments on: Review: W. http://www.cinemaverdict.com/2008/10/18/review-w/ Spreading film criticism all over the web Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:03:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: J.M. Vargas http://www.cinemaverdict.com/2008/10/18/review-w/comment-page-1/#comment-492 J.M. Vargas Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:27:30 +0000 http://www.cinemaverdict.com/2008/10/18/review-w/#comment-492 Caught "W." Monday afternoon at a mostly empty NYC movie theater. You won't find a more staunch Bush Jr. critic than me but Stone applying the "Nixon" treatment to Dubya humanizes the man behind the stooge image with surprising results. The movie isn't perfect (there should have been more scenes between the Bush siblings when they were older) and Lebowski from the Jury Room is right: there is a potentially a much better movie here than what's been released theatrically. For $12 you're basically getting the cliffnotes version of Bush's life from his fraternity days up until just before the 2004 election. Tons of good stuff (the War Room back-and-forth between Bush's cabinet members is fascinating) although only political junkies will be able to fill the gigantic gaps in "W.'s" many timeline/character leaps. Brolin is OK as Dubya (way too many eating/drinking scenes though), Toby Keith is excellent as Karl Rove and Jeffrey Wright's Powell goes toe-to-toe (both in real life and figuratively) with Dreyfuss' condescending VP Cheney. Thandie Newton's take on Condi Rice really is as weird as advertised (like a Tracey Ullman impersonation with layers of make-up) but James Cromwell is excellent as Bush Sr. even though he looks/sounds nothing like the man. Caught “W.” Monday afternoon at a mostly empty NYC movie theater. You won’t find a more staunch Bush Jr. critic than me but Stone applying the “Nixon” treatment to Dubya humanizes the man behind the stooge image with surprising results. The movie isn’t perfect (there should have been more scenes between the Bush siblings when they were older) and Lebowski from the Jury Room is right: there is a potentially a much better movie here than what’s been released theatrically. For $12 you’re basically getting the cliffnotes version of Bush’s life from his fraternity days up until just before the 2004 election. Tons of good stuff (the War Room back-and-forth between Bush’s cabinet members is fascinating) although only political junkies will be able to fill the gigantic gaps in “W.’s” many timeline/character leaps.

Brolin is OK as Dubya (way too many eating/drinking scenes though), Toby Keith is excellent as Karl Rove and Jeffrey Wright’s Powell goes toe-to-toe (both in real life and figuratively) with Dreyfuss’ condescending VP Cheney. Thandie Newton’s take on Condi Rice really is as weird as advertised (like a Tracey Ullman impersonation with layers of make-up) but James Cromwell is excellent as Bush Sr. even though he looks/sounds nothing like the man.

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