| Overall Grade: |
B+ |
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| Story: |
A |
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| Acting: |
A+ |
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| Direction: |
B+ |
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| Visuals: |
B |
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Out of the Barrel - a Citezn Kane for Today
by Doc Holliday (movies profile)
Oct 17, 2008
110
of
154 people found this review helpful
It's impossible for a movie about our 43rd president to have a positive rating no matter how well made. See every critic thinks their opinion is right, otherwise they wouldn't be a critic. And justifiably every critic would have an opinion on the President. So if a film attempted to portray the man in neutral, humanistic light, naturally every critic that walked in with their prejudices locked and loaded would be put off by the portrayal of the man not matching the caricature they had already carved in stone.
That said, I saw this film at the midnight show last night. Why? Because the president is an important man after all and a film about him would be equally important. But I was weary; could Oliver Stone possibly make an unbiased film about our current president?
The most surprising aspect of the film is that it's not the comical satire the trailers and TV spots lead you to believe. Don't get me wrong, there are funny parts of the movie, that's for sure. And conservatives and liberals alike will get a laugh out of them. But that's not what the film is. It's a story about how a man came to be, how a war came to be, and how the relationship between a man and his father can define everything.
And this movie is not the most entertaining; at times it feels flat. But that's part of it's magic. Sure, there were plenty of parts that could have used some tweaking, some, oomph, some drama! But Stone chose not to, for the sake of reality -- to be honest with a man accused of being dishonest, he stuck to the books. We'll never know for certain what happened or what was said in private, behind closed doors, but the casual sway of this movie lends itself an air of plausibility. And that's what makes it good.
The only flaws in W are impeded by the time constraint of getting it in under two hours. And telling the story of something as complicated as the Iraq War could have taken well over two hours alone, here Stone took roughly a third of that time. And in doing so the end of the movie leaves you wondering where it will end. But you do find it, and it comes back to moral all along - you're only as good as the relationship with your father.
W is the Citizen Kane of today, and that story is compelling.
*explaining my ratings:
Story A As said above, the story is the reason you go to see this, to see where a man came from and why he made the decisions he made. And on that note the film is a success.
Acting A+ Josh Brolin’s W is amazing. If he doesn’t garner an Oscar it will be a tragedy. The supporting cast does it’s part too, and the relationship between W and Laura is subtle and sweet, and if you look deep enough, you’ll find the source of W’s reform.
Direction B+ Oliver Stone knocks it out of the park in the sense of restraining his own opinions and staying in scope on a story strictly about a man and his dad. However the end runs a bit astray, much like the Iraq War, and could use some roping in or less editing.
Visuals B The movie looks great and is well shot. And the blending of actors and real life footage is nearly seamless. However, there is only so much you can do to make a current events movie visually stunning.
Overall B+ As said in my review the movie does it’s job and does it well, however it’s not the most entertaining at time. But as Ebert said, it’s certainly fascinating. In ten years, perhaps I’ll give it an A. |
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