W. Previews

I just watched some previews for Oliver Stone's coming movie, W (see here). I was a little disappointed. I'm hoping for a thoughtful drama, one that expresses concern about his policies while still being somewhat sympathetic. Nixon comes to mind as an example. But the previews look almost comical. They make it look like the Bush Administration sees war as a big joke, or as something Bush concocted for political gain (even though he's stuck by it despite its unpopularity). Even Colin Powell looks sinister! And I thought he was the hero of the Bush-haters.

James Cromwell will play George H.W. Bush. I guess that's not too much of a stretch, considering he played the President in who knows how many Jack Ryan flicks.

Richard Dreyfuss plays Dick Cheney. That's somewhat believable, since both have a gruff sort of quality. But what I saw of Dreyfuss' portrayal looks more like a caricature than a true-to-life representation.

What surprised me was that Laura Bush used to be a Democrat. In the scene in which George and Laura meet, Laura tells Bush she's a librarian. Bush then says that he's reading a book--Barry Goldwater's Conscience of a Conservative. Laura responds that she's a Democrat and worked on Eugene McCarthy's campaign. Say it ain't so, Laura!

In any case, I hope to see the movie eventually. Hopefully, it will be more thoughtful than the previews.