Vice

Starring: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Alison Pill, Eddie Marsan, Justin Kirk, Jesse Plemons, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, Tyler Perry, Alfred Molina (uncredited), Naomi Watts (uncredited)
Directed by: Adam McKay
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Comedy
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) quietly rises to power and exerts more influence than any Vice President in U.S. history.

Review:

Tim: Adam McKay continues his unexpected career renaissance by following up the surprisingly informative and entertaining, enraging The Big Short with a spiritual sister movie, Vice. This film doesn't quite reach the same heights- it doesn't elicit the same level of rage in the unfairness of our civilization, it isn't quite as unique. Still, this is a wildly entertaining look at a man who preferred to stay out of the spotlight, yet amassed an unbelievable amount of power. McKay has a knack for delivering this fictionalized films of true events and people. This isn't a movie I will soon forget.

Any discussion about Vice has to start with Christian Bale. I can't say I'm a big fan of Bale's. There's been too many accounts of him not being the greatest person. While I'm not a fan, I am in awe of his acting prowess. At this point, I don't think it is an exaggeration to saw he's one of the greatest actors of all time. His ability to transform his body for roles has long been an established fact, yet it doesn't diminish the shock of seeing him as Dick Cheney. I cannot comprehend how Bale so transformed himself. He and Cheney look nothing alike, yet the resemblance here is uncanny. As with all the great performances of characters based on real life people, Bale isn't just mimicking Cheney. He doesn't just look like him, he inhabits this other person and brings him to life on screen. It's hard for me to verbalize the stunning performance Bale delivers. He loses himself in this character and his performance is often mesmerizing. It's a stunning achievement and Bale deserved his Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. I do need to applaud the hair and makeup team, which completely transformed Bale into Cheney. It's not surprising that this film's only Academy Award win (out of 8 nominations) was for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

There's a solid supporting team around Bale. Amy Adams continues to impress- nearly every performance she's giving these days is remarkable. It feels more and more like she's the successor to Meryl Streep- an actress who gives so many amazing performances that they start to feel routine. She might not have a ton of flashy moments here, but there are several scenes she just crushes. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. It was fun to see Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld. Carell got the chance to showcase his acting skills and gave a strong performance. I thought Sam Rockwell was a very convincing George W. Bush. I'm a little surprised he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor- he has one tremendous scene, but didn't have a very big part overall. Still, he works well in the role. I like Jesse Plemons, but his role was odd. I don't quite think it worked in this film. Tyler Perry made a decent Colin Powell. The rest of the cast is effective.

The film as a whole is certainly polarizing. I appreciated the effort it took to shine a light on Cheney's rise to power. It was informative about a man who tried to stay cloaked in the shadows. That being said, McKay's film feels a little too one-sided. He clearly has a strong dislike for Cheney and even if it's warranted, it comes across so biased in this film. The movie would have been better had it remained just a bit more neutral. I'm not trying to suggest Cheney is a good person, but the movie is so bent on showing one side that it ultimately feels a little unfair. I think there was a way to portray Cheney for what he was without seeming so overly righteous.

The story was pretty fascinating. I appreciated McKay's oftentimes zany look at these people. The Shakespearean scene didn't quite do it for me, but I applaud McKay's fearlessness in telling this story so unconventionally. It doesn't quite have the same emotional and intellectual impact that The Big Short did, but I am so thankful this movie existed.

Although the film received exceptional critical acclaim, it was controversial. I thought it was a really effective, entertaining movie, but it didn't quite hit greatness in my mind. I don't want you to think Vice is anything but a success. It's a movie I would absolutely watch again some day. However, it wasn't among the top 10 of 2018 for me.

Rating 1-10

Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Big Short, W.