Vice (2018 Cheney Biopic)

Just saw this movie on opening Xmas day with my brother and dad. I did look at my watch once and there were times when I didn't feel totally invested in what was going on. I think that's because there's no sympathetic characters to root for, and for the most part you know what is going to happen since it's all historical events in the past. However, I did like the movie overall and thought it was good. Adam McKay used a lot of directorial devices to keep the audience's attention in what could have easily been a very boring movie in the wrong hands, and the movie also has a light and somewhat comedic tone which helps make it entertaining.
I think it's better than the surprisingly low scores it has on RT and Metacritic, but at the same time probably not a movie I want to go back and watch again (it's also a bit lengthy at 2 hr 17 min).

Yeah, this is not a good movie.

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This movie was so cringe-worthy, mainly in it's humor. The two parts that gave me the most second-hand embarrassment:

There were two mid-movie credits things and I can't tell which one was worse...

Do you mean things happening during the credits? I am talking about

Oh right, all I saw were "mid" and "credits" and jumped way ahead. But yeah, that was probably one of the film's more novel attempts at humour and yet it still didn't work. That's the problem with this movie - it's even less suited to a broadly comical approach than The Big Short was and, while Vice understandably doesn't play that angle up much, it seems like it's more a matter of there being no good way to really spin this man's story as particularly comical.

Oh, that wacky Iroquois - he hates EVERYTHING!

Speaking of unfunny...

I was wondering if you know if this movie has a subtitle? I'm asking because I tried to download it on my tablet and it came up as Backseat.

Sitting in it right now. Ray Liotta is trying to get me to stop smoking!

A lot of things struck me about this movie, but Carell seemed to be channeling Brick Tamland for Rumsfeld. Some of these characters where so cartoonish, that it started to feel really uneven. It's great to see Bale do the impression...for 5 minutes. That breathing started to grate like the piano plunks in the Favourite after a while. Oldman's Churchill was more believable, enjoyable, and seemingly unhindered by prosthetics.

In reflection, I really liked the Cheney 4th wall monologue at the end. It was always about him, everything he did. Even when he is trying to convince that his actions are just and for the greater good. I didn't really like it or feel it in the moment, but I kinda get it now. How many steps ahead?

Like I said before, a little too much of a you-can't-handle-the-truth vibe that rings a little hollow and the meta stuff is such that the decision to add a second stinger involving the focus group becoming self-aware plays like an attempt to make the first stinger seem better.

The mixed ratings make me actually wanna see it.

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It's very average.

that's what she said

Apart from Bale's performance (he's great) and some awesome makeup, how the **** did this get a best picture nimination?

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...and now it's the Oscars, too.

If anything that specific role in this political climate is almost guaranteed a nomination. And that is in spite of the fact that the film itself isn't very critically acclaimed.

Yeah i'll skip this. Can't stay these champagne liberal directors like McKay and make these films that are so biased that you can't really take it seriously. Not a conservative or anything, just hate these type of moves.