I don't think Oliver Stone will tell us anything new in this film, but everyone who is either for or against this president wants to know what makes George W. tick.

This movie has a degree of sympathy and a fair amount of ridicule.

It straddles the two poles, inviting you to think -- here's a guy totally out of his league as a commander-in-chief.

And at the same time it makes you feel sorry for him.

I realized he's in over his head at times, but please go and see for yourself. You'll be glad you did.

The director hits the mark in this "biopic" of the current leader of the free world.

But it's Josh Brolin's performance that brings it home.

A maverick in his own right, we get to see the "decider" jump from job to job, school to school, and then feet first into the wacky world of politics, surrounding himself with his father's old staff.

It's a recent history lesson that we know all too well.

It's surprisingly sympathetic and compassionate for an Oliver Stone film.

The bold one in this film is the outstanding star, Josh Brolin, who does such an unusual job in the title role that he carries every scene he's in to a place of artfulness and completeness far beyond what the director needs to make his attention-grabbing movie.

Brolin is clearly the party leader, nailing Bush's posture and gestures without stooping to easy mannerisms.

The director fixes on the fumbles and entitlements of an intellectually brought down bad boy son struggling to please a disappointed noble father.

It's the story of a man you think you know, but don't know.