Thoughts on the film: W.

Today I watched W at the Grove. It was inconsistent.

I'm not sure all the actors were in the same movie. James Cromwell played a character - George H. W. Bush - and played it well. Thandie Newton seemed to think she was doing an impersonation of Condoleeza Rice in an SNL sketch.

Sometimes the movie was a comedy, sometimes it was a drama. Sometimes W was a buffoon, sometimes he was just a misunderstood son in over his head. Sometimes this movie was about the war in Iraq, sometimes it was about the campaign. I never knew when it would end because I never knew what the throughline was.

There are parts I loved.

MINOR SPOILERS

When a badly burned American soldier in his hospital bed told the President he wished he could stand up properly in front of his commander in chief and the President offered him a T-Shirt for his sacrifice, I almost cried. When Laura Bush (Elizabeth Banks) planted that creepy smile on her face and never really let it go, I felt so sad for her acceptance of her place as his devoted servant. The juxtaposition of father Bush with the son was brilliant, and you really do get the idea that W stole out of jealousy the path that was set for Jeb.

But then there's all this odd comedy that seems out of place. And there's a speech Colin Powell (Jeffery Wright) makes that seems so unbearably preachy, and is only more annoying because there's this really obvious emotionally swelling music in the background.

And there's a point of view violation. In the entire film George W Bush is in every single scene except two, and those are told from his father's perspective. It jolted me out of the picture, as did all those tonal shifts.

On top of that, the film is told in flashbacks only up through the first half, then suddenly the flashbacks are gone for the last hour. It's like Stone was a bit wishy washy on his intent, which is very unlike him.

So that's why I feel like this film is inconsistent. I like much of it but I was a little confused by the rest. However there's no denying that Josh Brolin does a spot on W.

Oh and it didn't help that there was this dude next to us who kept going Ughmchrghhhhhhh ungghghhghg periodically until he fell asleep and snored and then woke up and made more old man noises. Also he smelled like used boxing gloves.