The new theatrical trailer for Oliver Stone’s W., available at Yahoo, doesn’t do much to convince me that the film will be anything like an even-handed portrayal of George W. Bush. What it does demonstrate is that Stone may have crafted a film about a normal man in extraordinary circumstances. We see Dubya, a man obscured by his father’s political shadow who isn’t at all the equal of his office, and who might not have the faintest clue about how deep his influence really is. And when you abstract the story into those terms, taking out the real-world ramifications of the Bush, Jr. presidency, you might find a fascinating story that is about as American as they come. The Bush-isms are almost window dressing.
Judging solely on the info in this clip, I can imagine programming this on a bill opposite The Hudsucker Proxy. They’d be perfect together.
I don’t think I need to mention the perfection of the Talking Heads song, or the horrifying effect of Richard Dreyfuss as Dick Cheney. And that final scream by Brolin…that carries it all.