Another awful piece of crap from the mind of Oliver Stone. A praise ode to one of the worst dictators of all time. Right up there with Mao, Stalin, and the Castro brothers. But then again, Oliver Stone never met a murdering dictator he did not like. It is only the peaceful Americans he hates. This piece of crap is 50 minutes of selected toadies praising El Diablo. I mean, they have to, they live in Venezuela, they have no choice. When, early in the 21st century a petition was circulated and signed demanding the removal of Chavez, Chavez had the names of all the petition signers published in the state run newspapers so everyone would know who to blacklist. All of the signers were barred from any government job. Then there are Chavez's policies. His communist government policies have taken the government of Venezuela to the point it is today. No money, no jobs, no food, babies dying daily. Makes you wonder when Oliver Stone is going to make another film saying he is sorry for this steaming pile of horse manure.
4 Reviews
Apology for a Dictator
eligregl-375-30328723 January 2024
I am venezuelan, born and raised FYI
This documentary, which aims to paint a positive picture of Hugo Chavez, completely disregards the devastating impact his presidency had on Venezuela.
Stone's work is markedly one-sided, excluding the perspectives of many Venezuelans who lived through the economic and social ruin brought about by Chavez's policies. It's astounding that a film could so blatantly ignore the widespread hardship and turmoil that ensued during and after Chavez's tenure. The documentary's failure to address Chavez as a polarizing and manipulative figure is a glaring omission. It overlooks the profound discontent and struggles faced by countless Venezuelan families, including my own, under his rule.
In essence, 'Mi Amigo Hugo' is less a documentary and more a selective glorification of a controversial leader. It's a disservice to those of us who continue to grapple with the consequences of Chavez's presidency. Stone's film is not just a missed opportunity to tell the full story but an insensitive portrayal that fails to acknowledge the true state of affairs in post-Chavez Venezuela.
This documentary, which aims to paint a positive picture of Hugo Chavez, completely disregards the devastating impact his presidency had on Venezuela.
Stone's work is markedly one-sided, excluding the perspectives of many Venezuelans who lived through the economic and social ruin brought about by Chavez's policies. It's astounding that a film could so blatantly ignore the widespread hardship and turmoil that ensued during and after Chavez's tenure. The documentary's failure to address Chavez as a polarizing and manipulative figure is a glaring omission. It overlooks the profound discontent and struggles faced by countless Venezuelan families, including my own, under his rule.
In essence, 'Mi Amigo Hugo' is less a documentary and more a selective glorification of a controversial leader. It's a disservice to those of us who continue to grapple with the consequences of Chavez's presidency. Stone's film is not just a missed opportunity to tell the full story but an insensitive portrayal that fails to acknowledge the true state of affairs in post-Chavez Venezuela.
What have you heard?
kurtisjvandermolen25 March 2023
The reason for the low score overall, is that viewers were told what to think about Hugo. It is unfortunate that people allow their brains to be rented, or worse annexed by "people in the know". This appears to be a man beloved by his people for the reason that he had always placed people first. Is he frail? Did he make mistakes? I don't know. However that is not the measure of a person. Cancer took him down in 2013, and Maduro assumed the presidency. But how do you watch an hour of edited video by a respected interviewer, and come up with a 4/10 score? This reflects the viewer, not the subject being viewed.
Tribute to a friend
Horst_In_Translation20 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Mi Amigo Hugo" or "My Friend Hugo" is a 50-minute movie from 2 years ago made by 3-time Academy Award winning filmmaker Oliver Stone in an effort to honor his friend Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan President. I enjoyed the watch and you could feel that it comes from the heart. I liked how he kept it fairly unpolitical in the first half hour as this should not have been the true message of the film. The second half has more political references, but that's perfectly fine with a guy like Chavez and yet it never feels as if Stone makes a political statement. All he shows are recordings from other media and interviews he made himself. This is especially worth watching as, with the way Venezuela perceive the United States and President Obama, who has been a gigantic failure in the last 7 years in my opinion, there would not have been many people that for example Venezuela's new President would have been willing to give an interview. As a whole, a fairly decent documentary and I recommend checking it out. Thumbs up for Stone's work here. He still has it at 70.
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