W. - Just don't mention the war

It was always going to happen.  Pretty much every major person has had a film made about them.  However, the simply-titled 'W.' came out almost before the man himself (President George W. Bush, in case you wondered) had left office in 2008.  It's fair to say that there was plenty to say about his time as 'the most powerful man in the world,' largely because it was he who was in charge during 9/11 and the subsequent 'War on Terror.'

Before Josh Brolin hit the 'real' big time (or do I just mean 'lucrative?') with his various Marvel roles, he turned in a pretty convincing performance as the leader of the free world.  Much of the film's second half centres on the invasion of Iraq and the problems the war churned up for all those who supported it.  I remember the news coverage (and media coverage in general) and little portrayed Bush in a favourable light.  At best he was a 'buffoon' and at worst a 'warlord.' Therefore, Brolin had quite an uphill job trying to make him seem like a sympathetic character.

We see the President as someone who means well, but is sometimes a little too convinced of his own course of action to be able to consider that he might be choosing the wrong path.  Plus he's one of the few Presidents whose father was in office only a few years before hand.  We see how 'W.' finds it hard living in George Bush Senior's shadow and is constantly trying to impress him and outdo his (seldom seen in this film) brother, Jed.

The supporting cast all seem to have been picked - mainly - based on how well they look like the person they're supposed to be in real life.  They all do their jobs well enough, but it's Josh Brolin who carries on the film as, from what I've seen of the REAL Bush Jr, Brolin captures his mannerisms and personality very well.

This is the second time I've watched the film and, until I saw the opening credits again, I'd forgot that this was an Oliver Stone film.  He's certainly no stranger to getting amazing performances out of people and, although everyone plays their parts well (mainly Brolin, of course) I'd hardly say this was his most memorable of productions.

I certainly enjoyed 'W.' but seeing as this is history that has happened during my lifetime, there wasn't that much extra I didn't already know from watching the news throughout the early 2000s.  The film is just over a couple of hours long and goes past pretty quickly.  Although this is probably a 'positive' it does seem to be a bit of a 'whistle-stop' tour of Bush's life, starting during his college days and ending with his time in office.  If you're a fan of Brolin or looking for something that's more akin to a 'drama-documentary' on the subject matter, this is certainly entertaining enough.  However, if you hated the man in real life, you may find this portrayal a little too 'favourable' if you're hoping to see him made out to be a monster.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that