'W.' review

Josh Brolin (Credit: Sidney Ray Baldwin/Lionsgate)

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A dramatized look at the life of the 43rd U.S. President, George W. Bush (Josh Brolin)—from his tumultuous relationship with his father, George H.W. Bush (James Cromwell), to his courtship of wife Laura (Elizabeth Banks) to his surprising ascendance in the political realm. Events from Bush's pre-White House years are interwoven with meetings of W. and his staff (including Richard Dreyfuss as Dick Cheney, Thandie Newton as Condoleezza Rice and Jeffrey Wright as Colin Powell) during the lead-up to and ultimate invasion of Iraq.

The buzz: A ballsy idea—the first legitimate bio-pic of a sitting President—seems even riskier in the hands of director Oliver Stone, who's known for tackling controversial subjects like Vietnam ("Platoon"), the JFK assassination ("JFK") and corporate greed ("Wall Street"). But is the result a mildly empathetic indictment like Stone's previous Presidential bio, "Nixon," or did the filmmaker cater to conservatives after they supported his last film, the 9/11 drama "World Trade Center"?

The verdict: Whatever your political beliefs you won't find anything unexpected in "W."—unless you'd be shocked by the juxtaposition of the President praying in the Oval Office with a younger Dubya engaged in a booze-drenched frat initiation. Since Bush's public life and Presidency have been well documented, while the juiciest secrets from the inside are probably yet to be revealed, Stone doesn't have anything new to work with. Equal parts light comedy and light drama, the film is worth a look only as a curiosity piece filled with strong actors delivering solid work but failing, like the filmmaker, to uncover anything illuminating in the material.

Did you know? Banks listened to recordings of the First Lady on her iPod to prepare for her role. Something to consider the next time you think your mix is getting a little stale.

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