Oliver Stone’s Bush biopic misses target

Oliver Stone's biopic of President Bush, called W and starring Josh Brolin (pictured as "dubya"), has been one of the most eagerly awaited films of the American electoral season, with some exciteable types saying that it could help Barack Obama's passage into the White House. But after receiving its first preview screening in the US on Tuesday night, many of the critics were left unimpressed.

Writing in the Guardian, Dan Glaister was approving of the comic aspects: at one point Bush says "Guantanamero" instead of "Guantanamo"; in another he compares himself to Moses - "He wasn't a very good speaker, but he knew"; and one scene has him agreeing with Laura, his wife, that the musical Cats is "one thing I'll stay up late for". But as a whole, it didn't hold together, said Glaister. "The film plays like a TV movie rather than a cinematic epic, and it will not shift the political landscape ahead of the US election on November 4. Instead, it will reinforce the feelings of those who believe Bush was a dangerous incompetent, and provide ammunition to those on the other side of the political spectrum who prefer to worry about the bias of the liberal media."

Chris Ayres of the Times concurred: "In many ways, W resembles a political drama on a US cable channel. It's satirical in tone but the satire isn't savage or playful enough to carry the screenplay; what we get instead feels …. well, tame."