Vice

With the making of Vice Richard Cheney of Wyoming reached a status that no one else has in American history. Who else who only made it to the office of Vice President managed to have a movie made about them. The only other one was Aaron Burr.

There's not much about Dick Cheney that I had not already known. The story of a hell raising kid from Wyoming who rose to be among the movers and shakers of our country might be considered an American success story. If he had only used his talents for the creation of a little good in the world I might be more favorably disposed.

As a Vice President Cheney is also unique in truly becoming an assistant President and actually making policy. In our history the only other one like that who comes to mind is Martin Van Buren who Andrew Jackson's Vice President in Jackson's second term.

The real surprise in this was Amy Adams who played Lynne Chaney. I never knew that much about her and she has a really great scene where kickstarts her drunken boyfriend Cheney basically saying shape up and make something of yourself in this world that men run. Fascinating the response here. Lynne Chaney says work the system, someone like Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the same situation makes up her mind to change things. Amy Adams got a Best Supporting Actor nomination as did Sam Rockwell for Best Supporting Actor.

Still Vice is driven by the Best Actor nominee Christian Bale and his portrayal of Richard Cheney. It's a many sided portrayal and Cheney does not come out all bad. For instance he's shown as being supportive of his lesbian daughter Mary Cheney. Qualify that by saying he also realizes among the crowd he seeks to court for votes having an out lesbian daughter isn't going make him friends. Lynne Chaney realizes that even more.

Bale got an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and the film was up for Best Picture and several other awards. It only won in the Makeup category.

Most interesting role was that of Jesse Plemons, an every man sort of character who narrates the film and has a unique relationship with Richard Cheney. You find out if you watch the movie.

An interesting look at some of our recent American past through the eyes of a consummate insider.

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.

As Adam McKay's follow-up to The Big Short (one of my favorite films of 2015) he is back with another dark satirical comedy.

Just like in The Big Short, the amount of information McKay throws at you is a little overwhelming, especially if you don't fully understand it. It is a little slower paced of a movie, but the way he frames every scene has such gusto that you can't take your eyes off the screen.

Other than the brilliant script the main thing to note in this movie is the perfect casting. Christian Bale and Amy Adams teaming up again, this time as Dick and Lynne Cheney further prove they should team up in every movie together. Christian Bale is so believable as Dick Cheney that you suddenly forget that you are even watching Bale at all. Then you have Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld, Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush, Tyler Perry as Colin Powell, Naomi Watts, Lily Rabe, Jesse Plemons (in a role that I did NOT see coming), and plenty more.

There is a fantastic scene between Lynne and Dick where Plemons' character narrating notes - that we wouldn't know what they actually would have said in this certain moment, but he images it would be something quite Shakespearian. Then Lynne and Dick start talking like they are in Macbeth. Their chemistry is just fantastic and you get to see how much Lynne stepped up, and her ambitions and reservations with going into this political world.

As much as this movie paints Cheney as a villain, McKay still gave him depth and compassionate moments, and showing all of his health troubles. You really see how this man became the most powerful VP that we have ever had in the history of the U.S. Presidency and how scary that is because it is all true. We have lived it.

This movie is definitely not for everyone but I really enjoyed it. There is a funny after credits scene that shows how divided our country is, and the quote above is exactly what you should be asking yourself at the end of the movie. So, what do we believe?

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.

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.