'41': George H.W. Bush sans politics

HBO says it will present "an intimate look at the life and career of George H.W. Bush" in the film "41," debuting in June.

In the documentary, executive-produced by Bush's great pal Jerry Weintraub, the country's 41st president talks about what he thinks are his life's highs and lows.

The movie was written and directed by documentary filmmaker Jeffrey Roth, but Weintraub was brought in as executive producer when Bush called "and asked me to get involved and make sure it was all right," Weintraub said in a phone interview.

"He's a beautiful, wonderful man and he deserves this -- it's a great birthday present we're giving him," Weintraub said of the HBO telecast.

Bush turns 88 on June 12, two days before the film debuts.

The movie is not political, Weintraub insisted: "There's no political stuff in it. There's one comment in there that's political. It's about Ross Perot." Asked what Bush said about Perot, Weintraub shot back, "Not much." He declined to elaborate, but he laughed.

"This film is where he let himself go and said everything he wanted to say," Weintraub said. "You love him when it's over and thank him for . . . all the years of service he gave to the country. It's not a Hollywood movie -- it's genuine.

"Not that my movies aren't genuine," the producer of "Ocean's 11," "The Karate Kid" and "Diner" added quickly. Then he laughed.

"I just caught myself! I sounded like Dan Quayle! Maybe I'll call Dan and tell him I made a worse mistake than he did -- if that's possible."