10 Movie Biopics That Were Far Too Easy On Their Subjects

There are far too many Oliver Stone films on this list, but the director is astonishingly bad at demonizing those he despises and praising those he admires to a sycophantic extent, rendering any examination of their lives toothless. The same can be said of the film he rushed into production to release before the November 2004 presidential election.

W. was to be a stunning, provocative film, a real-time biopic about the most powerful man in the world, exposing his shortcomings, reasons he was thrust into a position of responsibility unprepared and the complex web of shadow conspiracies and lies that are behind the machinations of the Bush administration.

After years of hard drinking, partying and generally rebelling against his strict, domineering father (James Cromwell), Bush II (Josh Brolin) was co-opted by the Christian right when he was trying to sober up. And he's still haunted by his dad's greater legacy.

Framing it through daddy issues effectively let a President many consider a war criminal, including the former prosecutor of Charles Manson (who was working on indicting him), off easy. It didn't help that Stone cast the administration with Bush-haters who had no interest in bringing any sort of humanity to them. Richard Dreyfuss made no secret about his disdain for Dick Cheney, and he plays him with all the sympathy of those memes that make him out to be The Penguin or Darth Vader.

Talented though he and Thandie Newton may be, their performances were better suited for an SNL skit.