Movie Reviews: 'W.' takes gentle approach, 'Religulous' pokes fun

"W." (pronounced "dub-ya," for those who have missed the past eight years) is director Oliver Stone's third film about a U.S. president. "JFK" was a roller-coaster ride of conspiracy theory conjecture that was loved by some and ridiculed by many. "Nixon" was a character study of the complex, power-mad president.

With "W.," Stone tones down his usual stance as a provocateur, and there is no revisionist history here. In many ways it's the most gentle, certainly the most subdued, film Stone has ever made. While there's no doubt about Stone's personal politics, he lets the chips fall where they may, and many of the scenes in the film, as well as bits of dialogue and the frequent malapropisms, are by now well known to the public.

James Brolin executes the role of President George W. Bush. The film is structured around the central theme of the Bush Administration's decision to go to war with Iraq and the subsequent consequences. Through a series of flashbacks, we see many of the formative incidents in Bush's life. As the plot progresses, the story gains the air of a modern oedipal tragedy.

Bush's days as an under-achieving college hell-raiser are well documented, as are his failed attempts in the oil business, his good fortune of buying into the Texas Rangers baseball team (and trading Sammy Sosa), his alcohol/DUI battles and how he finally "saw the light" and changed his life. These are all presented in "W." briefly but to the point. Stone includes a scene (which is also factual) wherein Bush tells the people around him that God has called him to run for president.

Outside of the central story of the Iraqi war, the subplot (which is most interesting) deals with Bush's intense relationship with his father. George Herbert Walker Bush, "Poppy" as he is called, is a very different man than his son. James Cromwell plays the part with deft and quiet intensity. The press may have labeled Bush 41 as a "wimp," but - to borrow a phrase - they misunderestimated him. It's readily apparent that W isn't happy about living in Poppy's shadow and unhappier still knowing that his dad thinks Jeb, his other son, is the one with a future in politics.

The cast is recognizable as actors as well as the characters they are playing. Richard Dreyfuss as Dick Cheney (known as "Vice" to the ever nicknaming W) is the best of the lot, with Toby Jones' Karl Rove ("Boy Genius") a close second.

Thandie Newton, as Condoleezza Rice, borders on parody in execution, but the core of her performance is interesting, as one of the only people in the room who actually seems to think her boss knows what he is doing.

While Stone doesn't scathe the president, he makes it clear that everyone - from Cheney to Rove to Rummy to Poppy - have definite feelings about the intellectual capacity of the leader of the free world.

A favorite, near throwaway, scene for me is when W tells the White House wait staff he's given up sweets to show his support for the troops. What? He later gave up golf, which I assume is a supreme sacrifice.

Conservatives will criticize "W." for painting an unfair picture of Bush, and liberals will criticize Stone for going too easy.

If you want to read an insider's view of how the film compares to real life, click The Daily Beast link in the Related Items below. Former Press Secretary Scott McClellan calls "W." an "educated conjecture" with Stone taking "plenty of liberties with the facts" - a "story-telling strategy (Stone) considers justified in order to get at larger truths in a two-hour movie. As a result, the real-life complexities of the characters and events are left unexplored. ... Getting inside someone's head is not easy, even more so when it involves a member of the protective Bush clan."

"Religulous"

If "W." finds critics on both sides of the political fence, "Religulous" will catch flak from at least five directions. Comedian and avowed agnostic Bill Maher examines Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Mormonism and Scientology, asking pertinent, well-researched questions regarding some of the tenets of each religion. Maher is at times confrontational but always good-naturedly so. It's his utterly gleeful laughter at many of the answers that true believers give that seems to anger those believers the most.

Director Larry Charles is well versed in mockumentaries, having directed episodes of Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and the bizarrely humorous "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." But "Religulous" is a real documentary conceived and produced by Maher.

There are many moments of humor in the film that even religious people will find funny.

The thing that strikes me the most is that believers in one faith will more than likely agree with Maher and his observations about all of the religions other than their own. It's akin to the political conundrum wherein people think everyone in Congress should be voted out - except their own representative or Senator.

"Religulous" is a thought-provoking and funny film. Oddly enough, in an area that has been called the "buckle of the Bible belt," Dan Chilton at The Moxie Cinema said opening day of the movie was the highest-grossing Friday in the theater's history.

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield freelance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com.