I went to see W this weekend at the Loews on Boston Common. Overall, it was a good film. I wasn’t sure what to expect, knowing it was an Oliver Stone film I thought it might be harsh or biased. However I think it was a fairly accurate depiction of the life of George W. Bush thus far.

Scenes in the movie alternate between the modern presidency of Bush and his earlier years. While there has been some dramatization, the scenes are all accurate to real happenings in the live of W., from his years at Yale to his religious “rebirth.”

The acting is very good all around, and the casting was excellent. Josh Brolin as W. mesmerized me. It is hard to believe this is the same actor that played Llewellyn in No Country For Old Men. Casting Elizabeth Banks as Laura Bush is a bit of a stretch when you first see her in the film, but as the hair style and wardrobe changes she settles into the role nicely.

I’m not a fan of Bush, which probably fueled my desire to see this film. I have wondered how we ended up with our current president, and this film provides some answers. It shows W.’s struggle living in the shadow of his accomplished father and reliable brother. You see W.’s wealth of failure as he tries to find a place for himself in the world. Interestingly it shows how Karl Rove and Dick Cheney careful steer W. through the issues facing the country.

For me, the most interesting part of the film is how it ended. I don’t think I’m spoiling anything here, but if you’re overly cautious about spoilers you might want to stop reading. I believe the film attempts to end in the same way as the current presidency, that is to say, we don’t know yet. The final scene shows W. standing in center field of the Texas Ranger’s baseball stadium (earlier in the film W. tells George Bush, Sr. that he feels comforted there). Although the stadium is empty, we hear an imaginary crowd and the crack of bat hitting ball. The camera pans through the sky, tracking a pop-fly to center that is not there. We see W. with his glove raised, squinting into the sun, trying to track the ball; fade to black and “The End.” W. has a chance to make the play, or to drop the ball. Maybe I am interpreting this wrong, but the symbolism seems a bit of a stretch, W.’s presidency is already in the bottom of the ninth and I’m not sure he can do anything to redeem himself or his place in history.

I enjoyed the film, although it was not amazing. For those that want a more visual history of the antics that explain the current president, I think it’s worth seeing.