Vice

Scattershot film, just doesn't have any focus. Sorta-documentary format but doesn't deliver educational moments, instead opting to drop 5s cameos about various events during the administration, without building any cohesive narrative. It fails as well as a character study - you feel the oozing disdain from the writers, and everyone is rendered as caricatures without any emotional moments that resonate. I guess watch if you had a hard-on for hating the administration and want to relive that.

Not as taut, funny or involving as McKay's own The Big Short, this is still superior fare delivered by a very strong cast. And it will probably angry up your blood quite nicely.

Incredibly disingenuous. I would've given it a zero if not for Bale's performance.

Left leaning and do the research andfound out at least half of the movie is completely fabricated crap. The acting as always is outstanding with Christian Bale leading the way that is the reason I even bothered to watch this. The liberal have so much hatred for republicans and they love rewriting history to suit there agenda.

Oh the potential. The cast is excellent, as is the makeup. My main issues were with Adam McKay’s directing and script, yet somehow he received Oscar nominations for both of these. The film is far from subtle, tonally inconsistent because of the slightly comedic editing (also nominated), and far too long (and as a result, mostly slow). I would’ve preferred a short documentary at that point as I would’ve learned just as much but in a shorter period of time.

I don't know if Adam McKay didn't believe that Cheney's story would be sufficiently interesting on its own, or if he has just bought way too much into his own hype after The Big Short, but Vice is an exhausting and tonally incoherent mess because he tries to use just about every trick from the directing and editing toolbox at once. Christian Bale positively disappears into his role, but what good is that in a movie that has already disappeared so far up its own ass?

Simply a terribly constructed film. Awfully edited. Like it is a 2 hour eye roll fest. The early credits. Gazelle cut. I was actually interested in the subject matter and that interest waned with every poor film choice. Acting has been glorified too but maybe that's my hatred but I don't even care.

This movie is all over the place tonally. It can't decide whether it wants to be a comedic farce or a dramatic character study. I also felt like I was being talked down to the entire time.

This annoys me. I'm all for experimentation with film as a medium, but like with The Big Short every trick up Adam Mckay's sleeve is so cheap and lame I wonder how many years he actually has left of film school. Clearly he hasn't covered subtlety and nuance yet. It's a shame, because under layer upon layer of jarring presentation distractions - most of which are pointless anyway, as the story is wild enough on its own - is what looks like it could have been an excellent film. Bale is great.

Decent acting, there're some good moments on the screenplay. Still, is too much of a charicature (many characters are portrayed in an unrealistic manner, i.e: G. W. Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney); the same way, many scenes are just charicatures of reality. All of this makes the movie look less and less credible. The narration constantly tries to put its own perspective, based on what was poorly suggested. Judging apart from any political bias, the movie is definitely far from being technically good.

Dick Cheney is a war criminal. Thanks for the reminder.

Despite being tonal mush throughout its running time and lacking a coherent and impactful message, Vice has a solid screenplay and great performances from its cast that prove Adam McKay's talents for making films of this type.

It downplays drastically the role that Bush played in the suffering in millions of people. Tries to abdicate him of any responsibility in favour of a “bigger” monster like Cheney. Bush, Cheney and all their friends did 9/11

So eager to demonize the guy it basically lets Bush off the hook. McKay's out here taking swings without his feet planted, splicing Nat Geo kills into legalese scenes like a madman.

Did anyone like Dick Cheney before this movie came out? Maybe McKay will make a movie with Christopher Walken portraying Putin as a bad guy next.

Christian Bale is great in his role, but it's the only thing keeping this from being bad. The movie is without focus and all over the place. Ultimately ineffective, and a lot of the problems may stem from the director boiling over with hatred for Cheney.

Very very bad. Acting is ok.

Yep. I saw this movie.

Feels like a more expensive biopic version of a Moore documentary, very scattershot and angry. Bale is great but Rockwell was born to play Bush and it's kind of a shame it's in this. McKay goes overboard with the gimmickry that was already a bit much in TBS, especially the last scene which just ended everything on a sneering note. If it's not a detailed miniseries you might as well make a movie about Senator Armstrong from MGS, or a light satire about an American werewolf eating Iraqi hearts.

What a mess of film.

Vice is an indulgence on McKay's part that lacks narrative focus, has pacing issues, and ultimately only serves as a mere reminder of Cheney's responsibility for the Iraq War. That said, Bale's performance was impressive, as was Carell, Rockwell and the entire cast's. There is a sense of expositing how America got into the political nonsense it's in now, but this never really picks up. The writing is solid with the comedic moments being great, though there are equally as many dull scenes.

I think the reason TBS worked so well, at least for me, was because it focused on average joe's rather than a go-to list of famous political figures, the type of biopic I was never exactly fond of. While similar in style and tone, it mostly felt like a straightforward run-through of historical events without the same kind of palpable outrage or relatable quality that made McKay's previous film so memorable.

the indulgent sequel outing after the big short–– mckay's style doesn't really transfer over as well this time, but this story is too juicy and bale is too good not to enjoy it all.

I quite liked McKay's style here, even if it distracts from the story at times. Bale is superb, Carell is great as well.

I don't care how many pounds Christian Bale gained or how many narrative tricks McKay have up his sleeve. On both accounts it's repetitive, predictable, and tiresome.

Very good.

Loved the creativity on display here: the quasi-documentary style with its narration, freeze frames, and media footage (both real and created), the mischievous artistic flourishes including hilarious faux-end credits and a Shakespearean dialogue. That said, it hinders the biopic angle from achieving significant character depth, and conversely, the biopic scope (30+ years) and focus (one man) prevents the political docu-drama angle from having as significant an impact as the content warrants.

Republicans-so-evil, barely-congruent-flashy editing, elite-actors-mimicking-real-people subgenres mishmash for the awards. Flavor blandish.

It makes sure not to provoke any empathy for its subject, which along with the unique shifting styles and creative media vignettes used throughout makes this work better as an avant-garde documentary of the war on terror and Big Dick's role in fathering ISIS than a character study. Indeed, until the film arrives at the new millennium it's so meandering and unfocused (thanks to constant cuts to black) it hardly kept my attention. But it's all of it unique, and I'm glad this shit is being told

The Big Short rode kinetic energy successfully, this attempts something similar but just feels lesser. I enjoy the flourishes McKay puts into his storytelling, both narratively and visually, but I didn't connect as much to this one. Although the aim was slightly different, I didn't have as much fun watching it. Attempts at humour mostly failed. The performances are all really good, there are a few great scenes, and for the most part it was entertaining, albeit a little long for what it is.

If a politically astute fourth grader bingewatched Michael Moore, then pulled Christian Bale and Amy Adams out of his toybox, he'd still be able to make a movie more astute and eloquent than this. A tasteless and graceless endeavor which oversells the underlying truth -- We already know that Dick Cheney is evil.

*SPOILERS* 3 things make this recommendable: Bale's performance. And 2 great gags when it ridicules biopics: The roll credits halfway gag and the Shakespeare in bed bit. Those are some stellar giggles.

Not as annoying in its bias as something like JFK - this at least acknowledges that it’s filling in the gaps and that there’s a liberal slant (well, duh). Still, I can’t help but think the wit/satire could’ve been sharper without being so blatant. This is where The Big Short feels superior. I do appreciate the structural element with the narrator, but it feels clunky pacing-wise. Maybe the best edited film of the year. I’m not as in love with Bale’s performance as many will be.

Another Adam (Curtis) did it better in one of his best docs (TPON). I was just engrossed in Bale's performance, but I simply can't imagine Rumsfeld being Steve Carell levels of funny and dirty mouthed.

A slow pace couples a not exactly easy subject, making the movie difficult to follow. Bale detonates a superbe interpretation of a mean man, underlining the contradictions and the intrigues behind what should be something for the common people. Political criticisms apart (which I have appreciated), I have some doubts about the editing of some scenes, which are more than one time repeated in different moment of the movie, giving me the feel of a dilution of the matter

Genius actors and the crazy real life events make this into a super watchable movie with some good inside jokes here and there :)

When your character study is actually a caricature, it loses all impact. Amy Adams, a phenomenal actress, cannot act as Lynn because Lynn is not a real character. She is cardboard, as are the majority of the bodies on the screen. Adam McKay thinks he is WAY more talented than he actually is.

What makes this movie is the amazing cast and their ability to transform into these well-known political figures. The movie in itself is a bit uneven and doesn't seem to know what genre it should be, making it feel like it's kind of all over the place. It's never boring to watch, either way.

Wellstone!

Tidy

michael moore with tassles on his nipples

Great acting performances (expected) and great work of a make-up artist, but I have not seen such a mess of demagoguery hidden under "according to real events" for a long time. The last time was probably in a Czechoslovak piece from the 1950s. If you don't know, Chenye was to blame for everything, and as a result he was no better than Hitler.

Not only a better and more entertaining movie than I thought it would be, but the performances are second to none, especially Christian Bale.

fuck Cheney, but this movie's whatever.

Great casting, all of the different political characters are embodied effectively by their actors. However, what worked for McKay in the Big Short doesn't really work here. It feels too chaotic, too unfocused, and too ambitious in it's scope. It's a shame because underneath all of the unnecessary detours lies a great film. But unfortunately it's too distracted, and Bale's amazing performance feels wasted. Sam Rockwell does a hell of a good George W. impersonation though.

Some very on the nose images : the black heart of dick cheney on hospital slab, when he's getting some poor joe's heart transplanted in him. Christian Bale's growl acting takes some getting used to, but manages to contain the disdain and hatred behind the crooked smile of cheney. The cast do a good job. This movie has some interesting editing choices, not all of it successful, but at least they tried something new. I still prefer Oliver Stone's "Nixon"- a wilder and more experimental film.

A must watch for the worst administration of US, an unjustified and wasteful war and a big "dick"

Diminishing returns after that other movie about diminishing returns

It's a total mess narratively, playing more like a series of brief sketches about the former Vice President than a cohesive film. Some scenes work (a dinner shared between Cheney and his staff where they order their increasingly horrific policies as though they were succulent entrees) and some do not (where Cheney's deceased heart donor addresses the camera for no real reason at all). The acting is pretty superb though.

The first half of the movie is terrific. The second is unfocused and repetitive.

really weird satire made by someone who obviously hates the guts out of dick cheney. spot on acting by adams and bale.

The sharpest script ever written by Adam McKay, Vice is an excellent commentary on the very real life and times of former Vice President Dick Cheney, and to be honest, it's can't be too far from the truth. Exceptional performances by Bale, Adams, Rockwell, and Carrell push this film even higher into the upper echelon.

Solid film, but could have been a lot better. I think the biggest faults are that they tried to fit too much into one movie; following Cheney from 60's to present -- and they went overboard with the showy & wink wink direction and editing style which gets too distracting. Bale does a huge transformation in the main role while Adams and Rockwell provide good support. Its also serves as a nice reminder about post-9/11 events that already had started to fade from my memory.

Vice proves to be a funny, well-acted portrait of former Vice President Dick Cheney, but its wayward characterizations and meandering plot hold it back from cinematic excellence.

Throw Citizen Kane and All the President's Men into a mixer, and you might get something like this. Not compelling viewing, but interesting.

Real choppy, one minute we've watched the Mission Accomplished speech and the next Rummy is getting axed for reasons we know but the film needed to pad out further. Bale sneers his way through his performance and Rockwell is bang on the money. I did enjoy the framing mechanism with the narrator but the film felt impeded on by the director, almost but not as much as a Lars von Trier film. There was a large left leaning slant to the portrayal generally if you're into that kind of thing.

1730

Vice President Cheney is kind of a Dick you say? Seriously though, it's a good try given the lack of information available. There is less humour here than in The Big Short and that hurts the film. The cast do a good job though.

Strange pacing and odd tonal shifts hold Vice back from greatness, though the film does pick up strongly in the second half to become an overall worthwhile watch

Relies far too much on viewer reaction/memory with way, way too much exposition through the narrator and text. Focusing on a specific period with the occasional flashback would have been more engrossing. Instead this feels like a book report. Donald Rumsfeld was actually the more interesting character; Cheney did too much deep thinking with the majority of the interesting things about him shown in the exposition mentioned above. Fav scene: Cheney meeting w/Bush @ ranch.

Christian Bale and Sam Rockwell are fantastic. They took a slightly interesting story and made it so I couldn't turn away. The underlying sarcasm works well with the political tone. Very good movie.

fiziksel medyanın düşüşüne tepki olarak mckay "director's commentary"yi interaktif olarak filme sokmuş herhalde. big short'taki kurgu rejiminin artık kendi tahammül sınırına ulaşmış olması bir yana içerik açısından da çiğ kalıyor anlatı. mckay, hayatı siyaset olmasına rağmen gündem ve ilişkili kavramlara olan savsak ilgisiyle ortaya atılan biri gibi adeta. ister bıkkınlığın ister farksızlığın göstergesi olsun, reaksiyoner eleştiri fuzuli.

Robbed of the Best Actor Oscar, Bale shines as the ever ruthless Cheney. However, the film's structure is its own villain as it suffers from uneven editing, tone & pacing. It manages to pick up the pace during Cheney's tenure as VP. The dramatic irony regarding the Iraq War was frustrating to watch, only in regards to the chaos that it created within the region. I'd argue it would have a been a more focused and biting film had it focused solely on his Vice years.

McKay's recent films are tough pills to swallow. They make you really angry. This one is no different. The acting is just superd, editing is great. Moving through so many different eras and never getting confusing is respectable. A decent film once again.

An ambitious and energetic film, which I suspect would work far better if I were deeper into the subject. Having a very vague knowledge leaves you with a tiring experience with some fun trickeries.

Mediocre people with illusions of grandeur rising to the top. I see it every day - where's the story?

Adam McKay picks meaty topics that deserve our rightful scorn...and gives them a garbage writing/directing effort. Vice expands this divide past the already-infuriating The Big Short.

rvw. i love how adam mckay does these kinda movies. he makes them actually fun and funny lmao. and he made dick and his wife likable and entertaining most of the movie. i really liked his younger and early years parts. last 50min once 9/11 happened got a bit worse so i'd probably lower to 87 but i loved the ending too. wont apologize etc and the focus group fight. ye 87 lol

Doesn't go far enough to demonize Cheney as a reprehensible monster. Too light hearted and comedic and too much respect for him. An ok movie to watch though, Adam McKay has a knack for making energetic fun movies.

I thought this was pretty dry and a little boring, despite McKay's attempts to make it fun and clever. It was good and infuriating to learn more about Dick Cheney, as I don't know a whole lot. I thought Bale did a good job. Same with the rest of the cast. But it did just kinda present the facts and didn't actually say that much. Also, much like BlacKkKlansman, the allusions to the current US political climate were so heavy-handed and off-putting. And I hate the current US political climate

I'm having such a hard time putting into words how I felt about Vice. I can only think to compare it to D'Souza's Death of a Nation. Both are fueled by hate. Both are artistic fabrications designed to elicit anger. Both are not helping.

There is 45 minutes of a great movie here

As subtle as a rock to the face, but very effectively musters justified outrage about the reprehensible acts of miscreants. I can't help but feel that being in simpatico with the message makes it easy to overlook some obvious flaws. Ridiculing the powerless (voters) always rubs me the wrong way. Can't see this movie changing anyone's mind. I appreciate McKay's insistence to spice up the regularly boring biopic genre, but the result is uneven. Bale and Adams are good to great, Rockwell simply OK.

Filmde çok hassas bir konu çok gevşek bir dille anlatılmaya çalışılmış bu durum normal şartlar altında çok fazla eleştireceğim bir durum olabilirdi ancak filmin kurgusal anlatımında Sergey Eisenstein'in kurgu kuramı sıkça görülüyor. Böyle bir durumda McKay hali hazırda tezatlık yapmak istiyorken bu durum çok da göze batmıyor açıkçası. Filmdeki bir çok alt-metin ve bir çok gönderme saygıyı fazlasıyla hakediyor bence. Ayrıca Christian Bale'in film için 45 k

It seemed like every time I was getting drawn into the characters the film broke into an unnecessary narrative.

a masterpiece for us democrats, a trash for trumptards, finally a serious (?) political drama for cinema critics. for me, it is humane film which shows the dirty tricks of politics in some aspects. imagine the concealed tragedy behind the concept of future that would be planned by the bunch of unqualified and insufficient people. or else, watch this movie. they call this politics, but in reality I think it's absurd. Vice shows this kind of absurdism as it should be, which explains why i love it.

Scattershot for sure. That seems to be McKay's style and it worked for The Big Short because the subject matter was already confusing and complicated, but this is a fairly linear biopic, so the pace definitely feels uneven. The emotional resonance, the anger we're meant to feel, slips through McKay's fingers. That said, everything else is chugging along so well that I wasn't bothered much by it. Most of the jokes land, the cast is aces -- probably my favourite Bale performance to date.

The core of the story is the performance of Christian Bale. I also just loved the exceptional editing. Storywise it did not reach the level it tried to. Amy was good, Sam was a okay.