Vice

Christian Bale delivers a remarkable performance worthy of the hype and the Oscar (sadly, he did not win). The acting is great across the board. Rockwell might be the second best in film, while Steve Carell and Amy Adams were similarly excellent.

Director Adam McKay holds this movie back from being great. He lays on the metaphors with the thickness of grandma's lasagna. And much like when eating the lasagna, a little goes a long way. Unfortunately, McKay feeds us an unneeded second helping. And a third.

That's not to say Mckay did a terrible job directing this movie. He didn't. Most of the film has a strong, resonant message wrapped in an entertaining and hilarious packaging. Much like in "The Big Short," McKay cleverly communicates complicated material in a way that's easy for any viewer to understand. And this is all accomplished without being condescending, except for when it is.

McKay doesn't put enough trust in viewers to comprehend what he's saying. The cutaways to literal representations of hunting and fishing feel a bit insulting and clunky. They're unnecessary. Christian Bale is masterful chef. Just keep the camera on him and let him cook.

For the most part, the movie is thoroughly enjoyable, largely because of the way it sheds light on the ridiculousness of the events unfolding. It's a funny movie at times because it's so appalling. Other times it's too appalling to be funny.

Critics may point out that the story is not a bi-partisan take. To be clear: it's not and it's not trying to be. McKay is disgusted by what Dick Cheney and other political figures did, and he makes his feelings painfully clear. This approach leads to some of the movie's most fascinating moments but also led to its partial undoing. If McKay had just been willing to trust that moviegoers would understand his message if presented it with a touch more subtlety (they would have) this would be a smarter and more ultimately more widely praised film.

This film is held together by some truly outstanding performances (Bale and Adams, in particular). It will no doubt be compared to writer/director Adam McKay's film adaptation of The Big Short. But while that story covered just a couple years, Vice spans nearly 4 decades, significantly more difficult to fit into a 2 hour film.

McKay's use of a narrating character is sometimes helpful in providing context and continuity, though I think it worked better in The Big Short.

As a bio-pic, Vice does a good job of capturing Cheney's drive for power and his devotion to his family. Complicated people are generally difficult to depict in film, but McKay and the team he assembled gave it an effort worthy of some awards.

I found some of the editing a bit quirky to the point of distraction, but I definitely recommend seeing it. Be sure and stay to the end.

This is one of the best films I've seen this year & left the theatre with the same feelings toward the political system as I did after BlacKkKlansmen (2018) & Sorry To Bother You (2018). A pseudo-documentary/dramedy biopic that tells the story of Cheney's political career while skewering the Republican Party & Washington DC politics in general, from the Nixon administration to today. It brings to light how politicians will sell-out everything in the pursuit for power, just how much sway one person can hold in politics, how media was forever changed under the Bush administration, & how all of this is still effecting us today. It's a film that has as many laughs as it does moments of bitter truth, many of them bleeding into each other. Again putting his body through a drastic change for a role, Christian Bale is absolutely incredible as Dick Cheney with his mannerism & glare down perfectly. I'm just as impressed with Amy Adams, Steve Carell, & Sam Rockwell. The editing is fantastic & the narrator was an interesting touch, especially once it's revealed who he is in relation to Cheney. And the mid-credits scene perfectly expresses what the reactions to this film will be.

Political satire with superb acting, especially Christian Bale and Amy Adams who each put forth one their best performances, and have earned consideration as one of "Hollywood's" greatest acting duos (previously teamed together in 'The Guardian' and David O. Russell's masterpiece 'American Hustle').

Factual aspects are suspect throughout, but the purpose of this film was entertainment, and in that respect, this is engaging and engrossing.

Just take the details of events with a grain of salt. I know a couple of the individuals spotlighted well, and have met almost all of them via notable political family member. It makes for good drama and humor, but a lot of bs is added that is flat out inaccurate and/or applies twisting of events towards misrepresentative. It relies heavily upon "Confirmation Bias" to achieve some level of audience buy-in; the favorite manipulative tool of today's media in all forms.

That being stated, this is great entertainment and utilizes brilliant filmmaking techniques that magnify the satirical-fun objectives of the film.

More evidence Christian Bale is one of the most skilled actors on the planet, and the Bale/Adams pairing sealed as a legendary success formula. All the actors scored, as did the direction, photography, editing, and screenwriting.

Great entertainment for certain.

Whether it's entirely fact-based or not, I can't deny how engrossed I was by its unique and interesting style. The film starts out very strong and compelling, but the screenplay is bit choppy and doesn't stick the landing. While some events are brushed over, others are brilliant and enjoyable enough to make the film an overall worthwhile experience. The performances are truly great and Christian Bale is an absolute powerhouse with such a commanding presence. This is a film with purpose, no matter how unsubtle of a gut-punch it may intend to deliver.