Dubya

When controversial director Oliver Stone announced in January that he would write, shoot and edit a feature-length film about the sitting president and release it before the fall elections, most were skeptical. But with W. he may have pulled it off. The film is not a silly string of gags taking potshots at the president; at this point, to make fun of George W. Bush in that way is to make fun of ourselves. No, Stone’s script wisely focuses on one question: What drove Bush from a rebellious son buckling under the weight of his father’s shadow to a man convinced it was his calling to become the leader of the most powerful country in the world? In The Bush Tragedy, Jacob Weisberg proposes that an intense desire to prove himself to his father—and eventually outdo the 41st president—motivated “Junior” to seek the highest office in the land. Whether Stone’s film comes to the same conclusion is not yet known. Regardless, W. may end up being a must-see movie for Bush haters and Bush apologists alike. An all-star cast brings the Bush clan and Cabinet to life, from Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Banks as George and Laura to Richard Dreyfuss as Dick Cheney and Jeffrey Wright as Colin Powell. W. gets a limited release Oct. 17 before rolling out nationwide. wthefilm.com

ALSO IN OCTOBER: (10/3) Megan Fox and Simon Pegg in How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. Michael Cera in Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist. Robert DeNiro and Bruce Willis in What Just Happened? (10/10) Bill Murray and Tim Robbins in City of Ember. Gerard Butler and Tom Wilkinson in RocknRolla. (10/17) Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg in Max Payne. Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Hudson in The Secret Life of Bees. (10/24) Angelina Jolie in Clint Eastwood’s Changeling. Adrien Brody and Rachel Weisz in The Brothers Bloom.