Every election season, politicians have a tendency to alter their stances on hot-button issues in a shallow attempt to pander to the electorate. In contrast, Hollywood tends to go in the opposite direction, churning out scathing, hardcore political material. Oliver Stone appears to have forgotten this tradition, as his latest film, W."" - a biopic about America's current lame-duck president (played by Josh Brolin) - raises the question of how the creator of such controversial fare as ""JFK"" and ""Natural Born Killers"" could create something so bland and toothless.
Given the incredibly divisive nature of both the film's subject and its director, one would imagine it to be a no-holds-barred assault on the reputation of the Bush administration. The story follows Bush from his college days through his presidency, providing a wealth of juicy material to dissect that Stone could have taken in multiple directions. It could have been a behind-the-scenes exposé, delving into corruption and deviousness that had previously been unknown to the general public. A complete satirical farce was a possibility, mocking the neocon way of thinking, much like ""Dr. Strangelove"" mocked the ridiculousness of the Cold War. He also could have shocked the world and created an authentic, sympathetic portrayal of W., depicting him as an actual human being instead of a caricature.
Unfortunately, the route ""W."" takes ends up being some muddled middle road between all three of those stories, and the result is a film that just doesn't have any sense of purpose. Attempts are made to depict the manipulative machinations of Dick Cheney (Richard Dreyfuss, who literally gnashes his teeth for the entire film), but in the end, ""W."" barely touches the actual policy of the Bush administration. Not once does Stone provide any information we didn't already know or already live through. The film isn't particularly humorous either, with all of its jokes consisting of Bushisms that could just as easily be found in ""Daily Show"" clips or a novelty calendar.
It seems as if ""W."" is supposed to be an even-handed look at the nation's 42nd president, but if so, it is a miserable failure. Other than James Cromwell's portrayal of George H. W. Bush, not a single character in the movie is anything more than a ""Saturday Night Live""-style imitation. Even Cromwell's good work is mostly wasted in a dull subplot about Bush Jr.'s daddy issues. Brolin, in particular, brings absolutely no depth to his role, nor does Elizabeth Banks as Laura Bush, instead channeling her energies into awkwardly making the First Lady seem more like the First MILF.
Once upon a time, Oliver Stone would have gone nuts with this movie. To put it in overused election terms, he would have been a true maverick. But it looks like that Oliver Stone is long gone now, replaced by a director who will only take the boring, safe path to avoid stepping on any toes, just like those cowardly politicians he once fought against.
Grade: D
