Roger Ebert gave W. a full four-star review, hailing it as a "fascinating" film. Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter wrote in his review that W. was "a bold but imperfect film," stating it "hopscotched" over Bush's career too much. Honeycutt did, however, praise W.'s timeliness.Roger Ebert: W. Movie Review (October 15, 2008) The Hollywood Reporter: W. Movie Review (October 8, 2008)

Variety's Todd McCarthy criticized W. for being neither "a scorching satire or an outright tragedy," but instead a flawed movie with "pithy" interludes and "sophomoric" song choices. McCarthy also thought the movie was weakened by a "lack of perspective" since Bush was still president when it was made.Variety: W. Movie Review (October 8, 2008)

Mike Goodridge of Screen Daily thought W. would be "better appreciated" in future years, but thought it "[held] up as a dramatized character study of the father and son presidents." Critic Emanuel Levy wrote in his review that W. was simply "too late, too little, too restrained and too conventional."Screen Daily: W. Movie Review (October 8, 2008) Emanuel Levy: W. Movie Review