W.
By Marshall Fine
Rating:
Who's in it: Josh Brolin, James Cromwell, Thandie Newton, Richard Dreyfuss
What it's about: Pres. George W. Bush (Brolin) prepares for war in Iraq and looks back on his life before the White House.
Sympathy vote: Don't expect a "Saturday Night Live"-style spoof, with lookalikes acting goofy pretending to be the Bush administration. This Oliver Stone ("JFK," "Platoon") movie has a few laughs but it's not a comedy. Instead, Stone portrays Bush as a hard-drinking slacker who pulled himself together to win his father's approval. Brolin gives W both swagger and shallowness, without making him a clown. Thandie Newton wins the look-alike contest as then-National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice, but Richard Dreyfuss runs a close second as Vice President Dick Cheney. James Cromwell steals the show as Bush's father. Bush-haters won't like how even-handed it is and Bush-lovers won't think it's fair enough. Which means Stone must be doing something right.
Long story short: Josh Brolin for president!
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