...it will be a profile of corruption, incompetence, arrogance, and of men and women too far removed from reality to lead.
Oliver Stone, one of the most controversial filmmakers in American history, is about to come out with "W... A Life Misunderestimated." Great title! As many of you may remember, Oliver Stone has made other presidential biopic films, including JFK and Nixon. However from seeing the preview, I have a feeling W will top them in all, not necessarily in quality, but in controversy.
Consider this: JFK and Nixon were made after both presidents were dead. In essence, each movie was historical perspective on a man, era, his presidency, and how he governed within that era. W is not any of those things. It is a political commentary on a President that is still in office and who by most reasonable accounts is the most controversial, inept, and intellectually incompetent president America has ever had. In other words for men like Oliver Stone, there is a lot of fodder for controversy.
From the very beginning of the Bush Presidency, Hollywood has showed its disapproval. Hollywood, which for the most part is made up of liberals, became increasingly frustrated with Bush and his policies, in particular in areas of gay rights and the environment. For seven years, Hollywood has been screaming at Bush with little response or respect from the administration. In addition to gay rights and the environment, there is a strong anti-war sentiment in Hollywood, issues of censorship, torture, and concerns for human rights abuses around the world (ala Angelina Jolie). Bush has virtually neglected or dismissed every one of Hollywood’s issues and declared Hollywood to be a land of latte sipping liberals who know little about what it means to be an American.
In comes Oliver Stone and W. Before continuing to read, pause for a minute and consider the political and social environment in which we are in right now and how W has the potential to be the ultimate "up yours" to Bush from Hollywood.
By most accounts that I’ve read, W either is or will be a mediocre film. Those who read the screenplay have said that it is an overly simplistic portrayal of Bush that confirms our notion that he is a simpleton and offers little else. SO WHAT??
Critics are missing a very important point here. This isn’t simply an attempt to tell the story of a man in an era, this is a payback movie and a protest. More importantly, it is not a protest or payback film in the vein of Fahrenheit 9/11. It will not be a dissertation on the policies of the Bush administration. Instead it will be a profile of corruption, incompetence, arrogance, and of men and women too far removed from reality to lead.
The film has the potential for being a thorough moral and intellectually rejection of Bush and his policies in ways that even Oliver Stone could not have imagined. This movie can bring to surface an undercurrent of anger and frustration for the Bush administration felt not just by Hollywood but by the average Americans. Up to now, American frustration with Bush and his cronies have been delivered coated in sugar. When folks like Keith Olbermann honestly speak about Bush and his ineptitude, they are often mocked or marginalized by the mainstream even though we’re all thinking the same thing.
W can be the first truly mainstream media work that unabashedly and without deference to the office of the Presidency say, "Bush is an idiot and should never have been president." Yes, this would be a radical shift from the usual respect offered to the President of the United States. However, Bush is not the usual President of the United States.
The movie will come out just three weeks before the presidential election. 24 hour pundits on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News (eeww), and the countless radio talk shows and editorials starving for something to talk about will have something to talk about in W. The discussion can singularly be focused on the disaster that is Bush administration.
W will get a lot of press coverage and remind people with humor just who our President is. It will likely do well in the box office – more press coverage. It will re-energize Obama supporters – more press coverage. The Oscar nominations will come out late December when it will be nominated for best picture, best director, best actor, and best everything else – more press coverage. Between October 17, W’s release date, and January 20, 2009, when the new President (likely Obama) takes office, it will get a lot of press coverage.
The points of discussion will go something like "How accurate is W in its portrayal of President George W. Bush?" "Do you think it’s fair that Stone make a movie about a sitting President?" "Does Hollywood have no shame?" and so on and so on.
Liberals will love it; conservatives will hate it, and those in the middle will find the debate entertaining. However, regardless of political persuasion, Americans will be forced to reminisce on the last seven years and ask the question "Just how bad was the ‘dub-ya’?"
In essence, W will make the last three months of the Bush Presidency in a national dialogue of how bad, incompetent, inept, and corrupt Bush and his cronies have been. It can be a national trial of a man who deserves nothing less.
By February 2009 as Bush finally completes his move back into his Texas ranch, he will accidently turn to ABC’s live coverage of the Oscars and watch as W sweep the awards. Every actor, director, producer,and production assistant who was told by Bush you're not an American because you're a liberal will send the ultimate "up yours" with their vote for W as best picture. The sixties aren't dead; they've just gone hi-tech.
Just when Bush thought it was all over, he will be reminded in the profoundly glamorous way that is the Oscars of how poorly history will judge him.
W has the potential to be a complete rebuke of the man and of his presidency...Btw, the trailer for the movie is AWESOME!!! Watch it and send it to your friends: http://www.wthefilm.com/