Rando Movie Review: Vice

What do you say

I want you to be my VP. The vice presidency is mostly a symbolic job

However, we were to come to a different understanding. I can't handle mundane jobs like overseeing military, energy, foreign policy

I like that. This isn't something a vice president really does, is it

No. It is now. We did our. Gunshot Nominated for 8 Academy Awards, Vice is an Oscar contender in every sense of the word

From outstanding performances to eye-catching direction, the movie looks and acts like an

Academy Award nominee. But is Vice the real deal, or just another pretender to the throne

There is no getting around how strong the performances in Vice are

Most obvious is Christian Bale as Vice President Dick Cheney. Much has been written in the past about how far Bale will push his body to look the part

of a role he is playing. Vice is more about the fantastic makeup, but the transformation is still stunning

Which is not to say that Bale's performance is lacking. Bale does a great job as the powerful and villainous Vice President

At times, Cheney says and does things that are only one step away from cackling wildly

and twirling his mustache. Bale plays these parts to the hilt without ever reaching the cartoonish levels of villainy

the script seems to be pushing for. It is the great performance from Bale that adds gravity and power to the film

Bale also adds layers to Cheney. Make no mistake about it. The film casts Cheney as a literally heartless villain, and Bale does the characterization justice

But it is in Vice's more tender moments that Bale's performance really stands out

The movie never tries to force its audience to sympathize with the Cheneys, but it does

show that the former VP was more than just a monster. Bale makes sure that these moments do not seem out of character or place with the tone

of the film. It is impossible to discuss Bale's performance without talking about Amy Adams' great work

as Cheney's wife Lynn. Throughout the film, Lynn is Cheney's rock. She is not content to sit on the sidelines and seems to be the person who turned her

husband's life around. Adams does a great job of playing a woman who has to show strength, but just the right

amount and only in the right times. Lynn's more personal moments are nothing like her husband's

Whereas with Dick Cheney, we see a monster who has bits of humanity, Lynn is portrayed

as single-minded in her approach and ideals. The moments when she does show her more humane side are well played by Adams and add depth

to the character. Director Adam McKay uses many of the same tricks he employed in 2015's The Big Short

Vice has the quick cuts, the references to pop culture, and the constant breaking of

the fourth wall. The times when the movie stops to speak with its audience are the most effective

The opening crawl makes it clear Vice is going to be a different type of biopic

McKay's film also does a clever job of sliding into these moments and will catch the viewer

off guard. These scenes are very entertaining. McKay's direction also encapsulates the biggest problems with Vice

The film starts to throw too much at its audience. The quick cuts do a great job of showing the multitude of problems that are going on, but

it also leads to sensory overload. It is almost impossible to not turn off parts of the film

It's like watching a big budget action movie that is filled with two hours of nothing but explosions

At some point it all becomes boring. This also affects the movie's pacing

It's all over the place. When McKay allows his movie to slow down and draw people in is when it works best

Unfortunately, the film throws highly advanced political terms around and chooses to name

drop constantly. Vice tries its best to keep the audience up to speed, but in doing so has to slow down

the movie. McKay has some good ideas, the problem is there's just too many of them

The rest of the cast also put in great performances, but it's hard to care for any of the other characters

Sam Rockwell is excellent as George W. Bush, and Steve Carell seems to be channeling Michael

Scott as Donald Rumsfeld. The two put in very strong performances, but it's hard not to feel they both should have

been given more time. Vice is a very good movie that tries to do a little too much and somehow doesn't do enough

Those who lived through the Bush-Cheney administration will be very interested in the movie

Those who have only heard of it or who have no interest at all will probably find this

a very frustrating watch. For the coolest movie reviews, you can find us online at AIPT Comics

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