"W." Not Forthcoming

Last Friday "W" was released. For those who don't know, "W" is the new film by director Oliver Stone about the George W. Bush presidency. It stars Josh Breslin (No Country for Old Men) as Bush and a plethura of other actors making their best attempts at imitating Bush's cabinet. The film has been received negatively by the vast majority of critics for the skin-deep story it tells and I have to agree. Besides the lead-up the Iraq war, of which the movie skims over, the film does not touch on any controversy surrounding George W. Bush. Not the Florida elections, his corporate ties, Alberto Gonzalez and the Justice Departmant, Jack Abramoff, Valerie Plame or Hurricane Katrina, to mention a few. To be honest, the Bush legacy isn't even complete yet and it would take numerous full length films to fully explain his presidency. Each of these controversies really need, and some have, their own documentary to delve into the issues surrounding them. Oliver Stone is a great director, but he should have left this one to PBS.

Despite this, I recommend you see the film purely from an entertainment standpoint. The flashbacks to Bush's younger years are intriguing and the some of the parts are done extremely well. Most notably is the work done by Richard Dreyfuss, Toby Jones, Thandie Newton and Jeffrey Wright as Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powel, respectively.