Low Approval Ratings Greet W.

If early reviews are any indication, Oliver Stone might want to avoid waving a “Mission Accomplished” banner. His George Bush biopic, W., is “a gutsy movie,” writes Kirk Honeycutt of the Hollywood Reporter, “but not necessarily a good one.” The movie comes too soon to have perspective—or an ending, writes Todd McCarthy of Variety: it “feels like a rough draft of a film” Stone should remake in 10 years.

McCarthy is being too kind, says Patrick Goldstein in the LA Times. “The film is a mess,” and looks “as if it were directed by someone who makes documentaries for the History Channel.” Though Josh Brolin’s take on Bush was widely praised, other actors drew SNL comparisons. “They act, bluster, and argue just like we thought they would,” writes Honeycutt, “only they seem like figures in a wax museum.” (More Oliver Stone stories.)