Cassimere W.

In the movie W., director Oliver Stone tires to let the viewer see who George W. Bush really is. When I think about the movie and the specific scenes when the character of Bush is brought into focus, I think of two scenes in particular. The first one that comes to mind is the scene when the young Bush is drinking in a bar with his current girlfriend, Fran. As they are sitting at the bar, he starts talking idealistically about the future he plans on having with her. It is obvious that he isn’t completely serious about the matter, even though he may think he is. From this scene, the viewer can tell that Bush doesn’t always think realistically. The viewer can also tell that he is slightly impulsive and does not always thoroughly think things through before making decisions. He goes on rambling about how happy she makes him and how he wants her to be a part of his family. It comes off as the kind of thing a drunk man would say to a girl, but she takes it seriously and Bush ends up proposing to her. The viewer can tell that when he started talking he did not have the intention of proposing to her, it just kind of happened.

In the next scene, Bush goes to his father’s office to have a talk with him. You can tell at once that he is uncomfortable with the situation and is not looking forward to talking to his father by the expression on his face. The viewer gets the impression that his father intimidates him. George H. W. Bush then proceeds to reprimand “Junior” for not sticking with any of the jobs he sets him up with, telling him to get his act together, and comparing him to his brother, Jeb. For the most part of this conversation, W. is nervously pacing across he floor with his hands on his head looking exasperated and insulted. He knows how his father feels and is convinced that he has no way of changing it. Bush struggles with this throughout the movie, but in this particular scene, the viewer can clearly tell that Bush wants to make his father proud, but just does not know how. As Bush is exiting the room, his father tells him that he “deeply disappoint[s]” him. W has no response to this, he just leaves, but it is apparent that he resents his father a little for it.