---

Mixed response for Bush biopic

Oliver Stone's biopic of George Bush's early life - W - has opened to a mixed critical response following its first US screening.

Much of the praise given to the controversial film has gone to Josh Brolin - who plays the president.

Todd McCarthy, of Variety, wrote: "The actor offers a more than reasonable physical approximation and an interpretation that's convincingly boisterous and determined."

Screen International's Mike Goodridge echoed the sentiment, saying: "Wholly immersing himself in the part, he doesn't imitate the president so much as breathe human complexity into him."

However, several critics think the story is ill-suited to the big screen.

The Times newspaper said: "The task of shoehorning all of this into a couple of hours gets the better of Stone."

Dan Glaister, of the Guardian, said the film "plays like a TV movie rather than a cinematic epic".

W is scheduled for release in the UK on November 7th.

October 09, 2008
Browse all news articles

Titles related to this article

• Bush Family Fortunes - The Best Democracy Money Can Buy
• W.
• U-Turn
• Born On The Fourth Of July
• Ultimate 80s Collection - Vol. 2
• The Hand

Related/similar articles

• Max Payne shoots to top of US box office (October 2008 )
• W. Screening (October 2008 )
• topsection_225 (November 2008 )
• lowdown_225_1 (November 2008 )
• W. (November 2008 )
• All the Presidents Men (November 2008 )