"W" : Nothing Exceptional, But Worth Seeing
It has been a busy time since my last post, and I apologize for being mum. I meant to take in Oliver Stone's biopic of our current sitting President as soon as it opened. But did not have the time. I went today on more or less whim, as I thought like many Americans do: "I've had enough of this guy for my lifetime, why would I want to go see a movie about him?" When it was over, I will admit that as a film it was nothing groundbreaking, but there were some aspects about it worth noting and making it an overall worthwhile experience.
First and foremost is the performance of Josh Brolin. Next to Heath Ledger in this summer's The Dark Knight, I have not seen a better job of acting in a movie all year. Times come when one swears they are actually watching the President and not an actor. His voice, mannerisms, demeanor are all a perfect duplicate of what we see whenever the Commander in Chief graces our televisions with his presence. Will Ferrell might provide the best comedic portrayal, but Brolin brings this individual to life along with all of the shortcomings we have come to see in real life from the man. Brolin makes W. not only a human character, but a sympathetic one as well, which is perhaps where the movie has both its greatest strength and weakness.
Upon hearing about this movie, I was under the impression that Oliver Stone was out to make little more than a character assassination. Granted, for this individual I would not have minded it. However, as opposed to taking that route, Stone has chosen to weave tale of how an individual who had little direction in life and many shortcomings became the most powerful man in the world. Bush is portrayed as a man who just cannot seem to find his place in life and the world. He bounces from job to job, never seems to perform satisfactorily, and then moves on to greener pastures on a whim when it's convenient. Deep down, the character just wants to be a baseball hero ( as illustrated in several fantasy sequences) , but he just can't find his place in the world. This aspect is where Stone (and mostly Brolin) actually accomplishes something noteworthy. He makes W. someone with whom many people can identify. Bush views himself as a failure, and when all is said and done, the job of President of the United States is just another one of his endeavors that has gone awry. Many people have trouble finding their niche in life; I know I have (still do to an extent), and in that way Stone enables us to identify with the character. However...
The bottom line is I, and many other people for that matter, don't want to admit we identify with someone we know deep down is an ass clown! Like mentioned earlier, the movie's greatest strength is also its weakness. Despite great acting, a fascinatiing story, and engaging characters, by the time the movie ends we begin to remember why we dislike this individual, and we really don't want to spend more time with him than necessary. Everyone has difficulty finding their place in life, but most know that if something is over their head or not to their liking, they should not pursue that endeavor, especially if it involves running the United States of America! I believe this is the reason "W." is getting mostly average grades across the board, and while I think the movie is above average overall, I totally understand why many might form a differing opinion. I will say that when the movie was over I had spent enough time in the company of "W." and was ready for some change. I hope the rest of the country is as well.
First and foremost is the performance of Josh Brolin. Next to Heath Ledger in this summer's The Dark Knight, I have not seen a better job of acting in a movie all year. Times come when one swears they are actually watching the President and not an actor. His voice, mannerisms, demeanor are all a perfect duplicate of what we see whenever the Commander in Chief graces our televisions with his presence. Will Ferrell might provide the best comedic portrayal, but Brolin brings this individual to life along with all of the shortcomings we have come to see in real life from the man. Brolin makes W. not only a human character, but a sympathetic one as well, which is perhaps where the movie has both its greatest strength and weakness.
Upon hearing about this movie, I was under the impression that Oliver Stone was out to make little more than a character assassination. Granted, for this individual I would not have minded it. However, as opposed to taking that route, Stone has chosen to weave tale of how an individual who had little direction in life and many shortcomings became the most powerful man in the world. Bush is portrayed as a man who just cannot seem to find his place in life and the world. He bounces from job to job, never seems to perform satisfactorily, and then moves on to greener pastures on a whim when it's convenient. Deep down, the character just wants to be a baseball hero ( as illustrated in several fantasy sequences) , but he just can't find his place in the world. This aspect is where Stone (and mostly Brolin) actually accomplishes something noteworthy. He makes W. someone with whom many people can identify. Bush views himself as a failure, and when all is said and done, the job of President of the United States is just another one of his endeavors that has gone awry. Many people have trouble finding their niche in life; I know I have (still do to an extent), and in that way Stone enables us to identify with the character. However...
The bottom line is I, and many other people for that matter, don't want to admit we identify with someone we know deep down is an ass clown! Like mentioned earlier, the movie's greatest strength is also its weakness. Despite great acting, a fascinatiing story, and engaging characters, by the time the movie ends we begin to remember why we dislike this individual, and we really don't want to spend more time with him than necessary. Everyone has difficulty finding their place in life, but most know that if something is over their head or not to their liking, they should not pursue that endeavor, especially if it involves running the United States of America! I believe this is the reason "W." is getting mostly average grades across the board, and while I think the movie is above average overall, I totally understand why many might form a differing opinion. I will say that when the movie was over I had spent enough time in the company of "W." and was ready for some change. I hope the rest of the country is as well.
posted by Darth Liberal at 1:18 PM
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