New 'W' trailer: A walk on the wild side with Bush

It was just a couple of weeks ago that conservative commentators were all saying that liberals were humorless dolts, offering as Exhibit A the outraged reaction to the New Yorker's hilarious Barack Obama as Muslim terrorist cover cartoon. So I'm betting those same commentators will heartily embrace Lionsgate's first teaser trailer for Oliver Stone's "W," which just posted today on YouTube (with the admonition: "This is not a fake"), focusing on the young Dubya, acting like he's starring in a boozy remake of "Old School."

The reason "W" got turned down at every big studio in town wasn't because anyone was politically nervous about making the movie--Bush is too unpopular today to worry even the most timid Hollywood studio chief. In fact, the studio that came closest to saying yes was the Rupert Murdoch owned 20th Century Fox, which figured that having Fox release a wild-eyed anti-Bush movie would cause so much buzz that it would be a unique marketing ingredient unto itself.

The real worry has always been that the story itself was HBO docudrama material, with too many talky scenes set in White House war rooms. The Lionsgate trailer shrewdly explodes that notion. It opens with Dubya (played by Josh Brolin) being dressed down by his dad ("I remember correctly, you didn't like the sporting goods job...") before careening off into hard-partying, tail-chasing territory, ending up with the infamous drunken-driving incident that prompts another stern lecture from Bush Sr. (played by James Cromwell), who says derisively: "Who do you think you are, a Kennedy? You're a Bush. Act like one." To make sure we get the point, the scenes are accompanied by George Thorogood's version of the roadhouse standard "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer."

The music then shifts to the serene "It's a Wonderful World," which plays as the trailer poses a question that could perhaps make us curious enough to see the movie in a theater. It asks: "What Drove George W. Bush ... From Here ..." (Dubya brawling with his old man) "To Here?" (Dubya in the Oval Office, cowboy boots cockily propped up on his desk). Movie executives always preach, ad nauseam, that a successful film needs a hero who overcomes a series of obstacles, making him a very different person at film's end from what he was at the beginning. "W" sounds like it fits the bill quite nicely, as long as you grade on a curve when it comes to the part about overcoming the obstacles. 

Photo of George W. Bush by Evan Vucci / Associated Press

Comments

[ricardo maxwell]

More revisionist history for Oliver Stone and smack and fodder for the sufferers of BDS ( Bush derangement Syndrome). This flick should flop. It should get the same reception as the left wing liberal media is receiving from viewers, readers, and advertisers.
And speaking of flops and flips what is the Messiah's current position on anything?

[DG]

I'd prefer a TRUE documentary conducted by PBS on W. rather than a Hollywood movie. W. is creepy and I would love to see all of his warts exposed to those Americans who are too lazy to conduct research on him.

[Alan]

It's going to be interesting to see how this film is skewed from a Hollywood group who spends its time pretending and living in a make believe world. Will it undermine a sitting president in the time of war? Nah! Couldn't be! It's not like you guys are like Jane Fonda....oh, wait...

[Chris S]

Hollywoods version of history... In other words, don't let the truth get in the way of a good story.

[Lars]

Brillant, I can't wait to see the reviews and hear how much money Loinsgate will make on this shame of a movie. Think about it, what movies are making the big bucks...The Dark Knight, Iron Man, movies that show someone who is willing to take the hits, but "stay the course". Perhaps Liongate will consider making a movie of Obama, Reid, and Pelosi standing in front of the White House, waving the white flag when terrorist drive their boat up the Chesapeake River. What dribble these movies are. I bet it will run number 10 all year.

[Stephen Carminati]

The credibility of Oliver Stone, Hollywood in general and The Los Angeles Times is a freakin' joke no matter how they portray George Bush or any other topical or non-fiction subject for that matter.

[Stormey]

WoW another attack on the President. Big flop. Bush beat you Dem/libs 4 times and you are still crying. Wait till Obama gets to the White House. You will be begging the Republicans to come back. I give him 6 months in the White House before you start to regret your choice. Hide your wallets.

[Steve]

Here is the the reason conservative commentators will react differently

The New Yorker cover was satire, by liberals, for liberals and it was liberals overreacting.

'W' is very likely to be a hit piece more than anything.
We'll see of course but it seems highly unlikely that anything by Stone with that cast will be flattering or even at least even-handed...

[Weird Harold]

I can't think of any President in history being subjected this type of treatment. It is a great indication of just how far W has fallen - they aren't even waiting for him to leave the whitehouse before they start peeing on him.

[Doug]

I don't know if I am going to see this movie. Coming from the Bush-hater capital of the universe (Hollywood), I can about imagine how it will portray our president, who I happen to like and admire. It is true that Bush was a partier in college. It is also true that he managed to graduate with respectable grades, which his opponent in 2000 cannot say he did. Bush was confronted about his drinking by his wife, and he quit on his own. That says a lot. If he was indeed an alcoholic, as most people seem to believe he was, that was a real accomplishment on his part. Most alcoholics need professional help to quit, and many of them still fail. The fact that Bush quit on his own is great evidence that he was either not as bad a drunk as people believe he was, or he had extraordinary inner strength. Of course, no one in the news media will ever say that, and you will never see it in a movie directed by the likes of Oliver Stone. (I mean, get real!) Bush is a man of integrity and moral character. He may not have been that in his youth, but it is very evident today. The fact that he stands up for Christianity is an example. It takes extreme courage to take that stand in todays society. Most Christians are very silent about their faith, because our nation has deteriorated so bad morally, that what was once seen as a virtue is now seen as derangement. I am proud of President Bush. I voted for him both times that he ran, and if he could run again, I would vote for him again. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Oliver Stone!!