Stoning Bush

For a crude caricature, W. finds a way to be entertaining | Mollie Ziegler Hemingway

Lionsgate

Oliver Stone's W. weaves two storylines from the imaginings of screenwriter Stanley Weiser—the Cabinet-level deliberations that led to the decision to invade Iraq and the journey of George W. Bush from alcohol-saturated frat boy to Texas politician—to argue that Bush suffers from the worst daddy issues since Oedipus.

This low-rent Freudian analysis makes Bush a sympathetic figure but proves ineffective at explaining the Bush presidency, whatever you think of its strengths and weaknesses. While trafficking in half-truths, unfair characterizations, and outright lies, W. isn't the hit piece that Stone promised when he bragged he'd rushed production of the film to release it before the November election. So it's a shame that Oliver Stone uses his considerable skills to produce so much historical fiction. Without it, W. (rated PG-13 for language, alcohol abuse, and brief disturbing war images) is well directed, with intriguing character development, solid scene staging, and sound narrative structure.