Directed by: Oliver Stone
Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Josh Brolin, Ellen Burstyn, James Cromwell, Richard Dreyfuss
Rating: PG-13

Josh Brolin as George W. Bush in W. (Courtesy photo)

When I was recruiting friends to see Oliver Stone’s W. this weekend, the most common response was “why?” Why make a movie about a president who is still in office, whose final chapter hasn’t yet been written? My guess is that Oliver Stone was so utterly mystified by the man and career that he embarked on the project out of pure necessity. That, and he liked the idea of releasing W. one month before the presidential election. Stone and screenwriter Stanley Weiser (Wall Street) make a valiant effort to solve the mystery of George W. Bush. They come up with no answers at all, but along the way have fashioned an entertaining, often fascinating movie. Stone’s sort-of biopic is uncharacteristically short at two hours and could have run much longer. Huge chunks of his presidential tenure are passed over, and the mostly terrific supporting cast could have benefited from more scenes. Perhaps Stone knew that every extra minute would expose even more how little he had actually discovered about his subject.

After 23 years giving under-appreciated performances in supporting roles, Josh Brolin steps into the blinding spotlight of assaying George W. Bush from age 18 to his early 60s. We see the young troublemaker amble from job to job, always getting bailed out by his father (James Cromwell). As he gets older, he romances a lovely young Laura Bush (Elizabeth Banks), starts to get political aspirations, and sees his relationship with George H. W. deteriorate. The movie is not told in chronological order and about half of it covers big and small moments of his presidency between 2002 and 2006. It all wants to add up to something, and has a few minor insights. But the only major statement about W. is one many of us already knew: that he really wanted to be commissioner of baseball.

It’s surprising that a filmmaker as uncompromising as Stone didn’t make the kinds of choices that distinguish his better films. Imagine if JFK presented the conspiracy theory as just one of multiple options. There are directions to go, all of them tantalizingly risky. Stone and Weiser pay close attention to Bush’s fundamentalist transformation, but with minimal commentary. They give us glimpses of a very proud man who needs to prove himself to everyone, but it doesn’t seem to drive his behavior. The most time is spent on W.’s relationship with his father, yet even that doesn’t go beyond the public record. It’s all well-executed, but we could have really used some more artistic license. Another problem: while W. himself is given a very fair representation, most of the supporting players suffer for being set forth as too good. Laura Bush, George H.W. Bush, and especially Colin Powell (Jeffrey Wright) come off as nearly angelic. And so we never believe Laura would actually fall for this man, we don’t know how father can begin to accept son, and we have absolutely no idea why Powell would stick it out with Cheney, Rummy, and the rest of the villains if he disagreed so nobly with every decision they made. It doesn’t help that the talented Wright (Broken Flowers, Syrianna) gets a bit too character-y as Powell. The voice is as unconvincing as the wig. Richard Dreyfuss (Cheney), Scott Glenn (Rumsfeld), Tobey Jones (Rove), and Ellen Burstyn (Barbara Bush) fare best by embodying key traits of their characters without resorting to impersonation. Strangest is Thandie Newton (Crash) as Condy Rice. Newton does a smash-up impersonation, but the effect is distracting. And the way Stone frames her, she comes off as a freaky insect. Cromwell is quite good as George H. W. Bush, even with the limitations put on him. But Brolin is really the show. Playing for real the man so many comedians have lampooned, Brolin manages the near-impossible of making him recognizably human, sympathetic, and by no means stupid. It’s a sensational performance.

I almost expect to learn the full title of the movie is W., Part 1. As one of the most inexplicable phases of our nation’s presidency draws to a close, W. is not going to help provide closure. It does entertain, thanks to Stone’s energetic editing, the work of the cast, and our train-wreck fascination with the subject. At times, Stone and Weiser can’t resist slipping in a few of Bush’s most notorious verbal blunders into unnatural contexts. It’s fun to laugh at them like the top-10 countdown, but they too end up nipping at the reality of the scenes. So with more chapters to be written on him, George W. Bush remains a mystery. And Stone, despite fashioning an enjoyable, surprisingly funny W., doesn’t manage to validate his self-imposed expedience.

Alex Manugian lives in Sherman Oaks, California. He grew up in Groton and has reviewed movies for Harvard residents for many years.