W.

For this year’s “President’s Day Movie Review,” I will look at a film that I probably first heard when Josh Brolin was interviewed on “Inside the Actors Studio,” “W,” released in 2008.

This film is proof that great acting doesn’t necessarily get included to being a great film.

Richard Propes said in his review, “Directed by Oliver Stone, who seems to have a fondness for presidential cinema, "W." is the type of film we almost certainly didn't expect from the often controversial, always opinionated director...sympathetic.”

“W,” it kind of feared, would be a rather sarcastic and/or simply nitpicking showing of the former American president. As everyone knows, Stone is the one who made “JFK” and “Nixon.”

The man seems to be rather direct.

Propes noted, “Stone doesn't opt for character assassination, however, "W." also isn't a straightforward bio of President Bush. While it would be a stretch to call Stone's portrait a loving portrait, there's a sort of kid glove approach that seems to indicate a trust in the material.”

Written by Stanley Weiser, “W” spends more time dealing with Bush’s ongoing father issues than it does showing an articulate portrait of the man. This take works sometimes, while at other times it becomes the film’s greatest difficulty.

The former president is shown mostly as a drunken, womanizing man until he found the Lord at the age of 40. It appears that all of his behaviors are the root cause of his always complicated relationship with his father, the late president George H.W. Bush.

Bush’s expedition into politics is shown as almost an accident, something that was mainly done to impress his father’s favor. Propes said, “By the time Bush wins the White House, it becomes readily apparent that winning the White House put Bush in the position of being woefully ill-equipped for the mission in front of him.” However, Stone doesn’t judge him for completing this task…because it looks as thought it asks who wouldn’t really “want” to be president?

Propes said, “Stone takes a kinder, gentler approach to it all and it doesn't even feel tongue-in-cheek.”

Brolin, who jumped to Hollywood’s higher class with “No Country for Old Men,” makes the performance of his career in “W,” a performance that never becomes a caricature even for the fact that just by looking at Bush often feels like one is looking at a caricature. Even Elizabeth Banks makes a strong performance as Laura Bush, a woman who looks like she is way out of Bush’s league.

“W” is a mixture of Hollywood actors playing Bush’s supporting and, sometimes, controlling people including Condoleezza Rice (Thandie Newton), Donald Rumsfeld (Scott Glenn), Karl Rove (Toby Jones), Dick Cheney (Richard Dreyfuss), Colin Powell (Jeffrey Wright), and so many others. Particularly, Dreyfuss stands out from the whole cast that almost seems to be channeling the former Vice President that many believe was really the one doing the job a lot.

The late James Cromwell is rather intimidating as father Bush, maybe the film’s most evident antagonist portrayal, despite Cromwell balances it out nicely. Ellen Burstyn, as Barbara Bush, plays the part nicely.

It’s sad that in a film filled with so many great performances that, overall, “W” never really comes together as a film. Propes criticized, “"W." feels about 20-25 minutes too long, yet somehow still feels over-edited. While the episodic approach by Stone works fairly well early on, by the end of the film it feels like "W." is simply disorganized and out of focus.”

Solid performances all around and a career best performance from Josh Brolin work together to make “W” above mediocrity, however, it’s hard not to be a little disappointed with a film that had so much potential to say so much more.

One of my favorite impressionists, Frank Caliendo, said that Josh Brolin told him that Caliendo was Brolin’s inspiration to imitating Bush. As good of a job Brolin does in imitating Bush, there are times during Bush’s younger years where Brolin sounds like he isn’t trying to imitate Bush, but does a typical Texas accent. Even Cromwell doesn’t try to sound like father Bush, but I did find this film fascinating. If you want to check it out, you may do so on Tubi, but if you find this an average time, like I did, I hear you.

Happy President’s Day everyone. Sorry for the late posting. I was just really tired today from work. Stay tuned this Friday for the continuation of “Black History Movie Month.”