First review of Oliver Stone’s new movie W.

Daily Variety reviewer Todd McCarthy weighs in with the first review of Oliver Stone’s new movie W.:

Oliver Stone’s unusual and inescapably interesting “W.” feels like a rough draft of a film it might behoove him to remake in 10 or 15 years. The director’s third feature to hinge on a modern-era presidency, after “JFK” and “Nixon,” offers a clear and plausible take on the current chief executive’s psychological makeup and, considering Stone’s reputation and Bush’s vast unpopularity, a relatively even-handed, restrained treatment of recent politics. For a film that could have been either a scorching satire or an outright tragedy, “W.” is, if anything, overly conventional, especially stylistically. The picture possesses dramatic and entertainment value, but beyond serious filmgoers curious about how Stone deals with all this president’s men and women, it’s questionable how wide a public will pony up to immerse itself in a story that still lacks an ending.

My first agent Dan Halsted was Oliver Stone’s producing partner for many years, involved in numerous movies including Nixon (1995). Yes, Stone is interested in politics, but with Nixon, Born on the Fourth of July (1999), JFK (1991), The Doors (1991), and now W., it’s also clear that he is drawn to larger than life characters in big dramatic stories.