10.08.08
Early Reviews Of ‘W’ Are About As Winning As This Administrations Current Approval Rating
Maybe Oliver Stone was right when he said he wasn’t sure whether his new film would succeed.
Depending on your perspective, early reviews for Stone’s George W. Bush biopic, “W” are either mixed and slightly better than Bush’s actual presidency (as Vulture says), or are displaying a pretty “mild buzz” as Slashfilm says. In other words. No one’s really doing backflips for the film, which is a bit sad, cause we kinda loved the satire and absurdity of the script and were/are looking forward to this.
You’d hope the polarizing Stone would deliver a film that people would either love or hate, but reviews are pretty tepid and lukewarm across the board which is even sometimes worse (lord knows it gets to be hard to write a review of a film that’s not terrible, but not good).
Variety and the Hollywood Reporter are mostly on the fence. The formers Todd McCarthy says, “For a film that could have been either a scorching satire or an outright tragedy, ‘W.’ is, if anything, overly conventional, especially stylistically” and the later writes, “It’s a gutsy movie but not necessarily a good one. Its greatest strength is that it wants to talk about what’s on our minds right now and not wait for historians.”
Jeffrey Wells, seemingly a large supporter of the film (or at least someone much like us who was eager to see it), has some faults with the film “(”Josh Brolin’s performance as George W. Bush being dead perfect but — and this, I believe, is a crucial distinction — appropriately hollow. Which means that on some level the performance, like the film itself, leaves you feeling a wee bit flat and wanting more.”), but in the end gives it his stamp of approval. “['W' is] one of the most startling and surprising films of the year. The damn movie leaves you feeling sorry for this fucker at the finale, and that ain’t hay.”
David Poland thinks Brolin should get an Oscar and liked the film, but isn’t claiming it’s the greatest political satire in the world either. “It is not ['Dr.] Strangelove’ in any way. It doesn’t aspire to be. We laugh at the familiar and it is often funny, but it is not a comedy, really. It’s a life, unexpected. But the Big Theme appears, on this viewing, to be missing in action.” He also has a lot of praise for Thandie Newton as Condoleeza Rice. Her “performance shows a skill set that is unexpected in an actress best known for her beauty,” he notes.
“At its best, it holds up as a dramatized character study of the father and son presidents which will be watched keenly in years to come. At its worst, it is submerged by an over-populated cast of characters and a tone which shifts awkwardly between dramatic storytelling and smartass political comedy. … [T]he film is not a biopic by any means.” writes Screen Daily’s Mike Goodridge.
Everyone seems to be onboard with Brolin, but not so much the entire film.
Well, shucks, where does this leave the rest of Americah, huh? Will Palin go see this or will Joe six-pack? Hmm, probably not huh? If this film bombs at the box-office, we’re pretty sure that’s damning proof the way the election is going to unfortunately go. Look, the country just voted for a movie about the Taco Bell dog. What does that tell you about its taste and acumen?
Did you see the debates last night? On CNN, the viewers in Ohio whose metrics were being tracked thought Obama had won the debate singlehandedly, but then asked, “Ok, if you were to vote right now, who would you vote for?,” and they stammered, “Uhh, Mcain.” We’re all fucked.
This post is courtesy of our friends at The Playlist.
Gonzalo said,
October 9, 2008 at 1:20 pm
I hate Bush, and there is no way I will ever see this.
Kerry said,
October 9, 2008 at 1:25 pm
I see this film this coming Tuesday, and I could not be more excited, really, politics and film – blended into one, COUNT ME IN. Seriously.
Salmaya said,
October 9, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Luckily for most of us, we have next to no idea what to except from the film, which I think will be advantageous to our viewing experience. I am no Stone fan, he is rather hit and miss in my books, but I am extremely curious about how well the stellar cast performs, Brolin in particular, and seeing as all these reviews highlight him as the best thing about Dubya, looks like I am in for a treat indeed. *goes to rent ‘Nixon’ for no real reason*
Dave said,
October 9, 2008 at 1:40 pm
While, it certainly sounds a little more complicated than the satire I was expecting, so it’s a great boost for my interest to see it. I shall tread with caution, but let me just say that I cannot wait for Bush to get out of our country’s administration, hopefully this is the last we hear from him for a while, if you know what I mean.
Sasha Perez said,
October 9, 2008 at 1:44 pm
All Stone films get mixed to undecided reviews, generally, so this is no surprise. Bush and Stone are very similar as people, and I think this film should prove interesting at the least.
Jerry said,
October 9, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I am a Liberal through and through, and shall not subject myself to a film focusing on one of the worst, most evil and cruel dictators this world has ever seen. Under no circumstances
Nick Plowman said,
October 9, 2008 at 2:15 pm
For me, the uncertainty of exactly how this film will turn out is a large part of the reason I am looking forward to it as much as I am. I cant even articulate why I want to see it, I think Bush is devilish, but there is something seemingly cheeky and off-centre about it that I find oddly appealing. That being said, it doesn’t seem to grace SA screens anytime soon.
Justin said,
October 9, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I still have a feeling this could go either way, and right now, I’m thinking positively.
Sam Juliano said,
October 9, 2008 at 3:47 pm
For once I completely agree with Jerry and his Grim Reaper prognosis, but that won’t stop me from seeing it anyway, much the same way that abysmal reviews didn’t disuade me from seeing Stone’s ALEXANDER.
Eva said,
October 21, 2008 at 2:33 am
Horrible movie that portrays Bush and his administration as victims. All fluff and no substance. Covers not of the issues. Looks like its made for TV at best.