Next Fahrenheit 9/11
By Reyan Ali
The end of the Bush era is a swiftly approaching inevitability. Now, as almost eight years have passed since the inauguration of the polarizing Texan as President of the United States of America, director Oliver Stone and a uniquely culled cast have drummed up a parting anti-gift to commemorate his exit: "W.," a film portraying the life of our current Commander-in-Chief, bio-pic style. Unfortunately for George and his supporters, this upcoming flick looks to be anything but a lovingly-etched dramatization.
Here's how the teaser trailer goes: After a twangy Southern guitar kicks in past the company credits, the elder Bush (James Cromwell) begins a diatribe railing on his son, George W., (Josh Brolin) for bad behavior: "If I remember correctly, you didn't like the sporting goods job." The scene then cuts to a shot of a woman dancing on top of a bar with what appears to be W., then a few shots of the younger Bush engaging in the kind of abject debauchery more common to college life than political office: He attempts to maintain control on a beer bong, drives drunk, gambles, and is finally led into a jail cell. In between all of this, we see clips of Bush's affluent home life as cocktail glasses clink together and members of the upper class mingle. All the while, the elder Bush continues, "Working in the investment firm wasn't for you either. Or the oil rig. You didn't exactly finish up with flying colors in the National Guard, did you? What are you cut out for? Partying? Chasing tail? Driving drunk? Who do you think you are? A Kennedy? You're a Bush. Act like one." At this point, the trailer jumps into a cover of "What a Wonderful World" and we see a brief sequence of Bush Sr. threatening an "ass-whooping" on his son ("Try it, old man" is the response he receives) and then a run-through of the supporting players: Laura Bush (Elizabeth Bank), Condoleezza Rice (Thandie Newton), Ioan Gruffudd (Tony Blair), Dick Cheney (Richard Dreyfuss), Barbara Bush (Ellen Burstyn). The teaser ends with George jogging, and then the title and credits play.
As you consider the ramifications and implications of a couple of minutes of film, let's jump back to June 23, 2004 when Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" was released and there was a still a chance that Bush would not make it back for a second term. As an incendiary documentary, it packed a hell of a punch for a film that didn't have much of a budget. People flocked to it in record numbers for a documentary, as whether people agreed with what Moore portrayed of Bush in his final edit or not, it had to be seen simply because an event had been made out of discussing a prominent political figure. Moore's success has yet to be replicated.
The potential "love it or hate it" popularity is exactly why this is such an important film to Oliver Stone to complete and release. More than any other director working today (except for maybe M. Night Shyamalan), Stone needs a hit to bring back both his previous box office success and his sense of cultural relevance. It's been over a decade since "Natural Born Killers" hit screens and raised the ire of parents and cultural watchdogs. 2004's "Alexander" ignited controversy in the form of lawsuits and discussions of sexual morés, but failed at the box office. Stone has also had his chances to depict both Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy in "Nixon" and "JFK," so it's only fitting that he add the current man in power to his controversial list of subjects.
In sum, this film's release marks something entirely new in the portrayal of presidents. While there have been dozens of "Saturday Night Live" skits mocking American heads of state (the '90s gave us more than its fair share of Clinton impressions) and even a cartoon dedicated to lampooning George W. (Comedy Central's marginally successful "Lil' Bush"), there has never been an entire film made about a man's life while he was still serving. To some extent, this is more of an attack than Moore's "Fahrenheit" because Bush won't even get a chance to defend any statements or actions made in this film because it won't even be him saying or doing those things (or at least most of them). This could potentially make some minor ripples, come election-time, as the presumptuous vilification that Stone's film appears to be could turn some of the more moderate liberals the other way or charge conservatives to have a new opponent to rally against.
Unfortunately, the film is scheduled to be released October 17, not November 4. If there was ever going to be a movie that deserved to be released on Election Day as the country makes their choices for the next candidate to enter office (and possibly experience this kind of cinematic treatment), this is it. You can view the teaser for "W." yourself at http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/w/teaser-trailer.
Originally Published: Issue 664 - August 20, 2008
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