Respond to these rapid questions in our Vice quiz and we will tell you which Vice character you are. Play it now.
I’m pretty sure I’ve never quoted William Shakespeare in a film review before, but this particular film delves into Shakespearean language at one point, so I figure it’s fair game for a Shakespeare reference. My favorite line from Shakespeare’s “Vice” is the one that keeps ringing in my head when I think about Adam McKay’s “Vice”: “Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
There is a lot that happens in “Vice.” There’s a lot of noise, as well as a significant amount of fury. And there’s certainly an interesting story to be told about the George W. Bush administration and the role Vice President Dick Cheney played in determining the current state of our country’s affairs waiting to be told. However, this isn’t the case with this film. A lack of insight, ingenuity, and intensity characterize the film, which skims the surface of history like a drunk guy at a holiday party who has just read a Wikipedia entry about something he really wants to talk about right now. For anyone who has been even remotely involved in the national political landscape over the last two decades, “Vice” provides nothing new to think about or discuss. Great films about American politics are conversation starters; mediocre films about American politics are like dull lectures that are one-sided and uninteresting. This is the latter, and it is not at a particularly prestigious institution.
Cheney’s life is tackled by McCay, who uses many of the same techniques he used on “The Big Short”—straight-to-camera explanations, quick-cut montages to jump through time—to tell his story (a heavily made-up Christian Bale). One of the most significant problems with that last sentence is that Cheney has a lot of life left to live before his death. Instead of devoting the entire first half-hour to the meat of the story—time Cheney’s in the White House—McKay provides a sluggish, surprisingly rote biopic of the vice president. We’re all aware that we’re here for the Bush years, and so Cheney’s drunken youth and his years with Nixon have an unintentional air of prelude to the future that we’re not expecting. The desire to learn more about Cheney’s impact on politics in the years before President Bush asked him to be his running mate is a noteworthy one, but McKay’s treatment of the man is far more formulaic than the man’s history warrants. He learned nothing from Nixon or Donald Rumsfeld, and his time at Halliburton was a waste of time because it was all superficial, connect-the-dots filmmaking.
But you shouldn’t waste any more time and start this Vice quiz.
When the story of one of history’s most illustrious entrepreneurs reaches the “good stuff” in the Bush administration, it is a page-turner (and, to be fair, improves as a piece of filmmaking). Mr. McKay paints a picture of a man who came to the realization that he could transform what had been a largely ineffective government position into one that was extremely powerful. Whatever you think of Cheney’s politics or moral center, he knew how to seize opportunities when they presented themselves. He recognized that he had the ability to reshape the Vice President’s role under George W. Bush, and that he could finally leave his mark on American political history. All of the factual beats are present. It’s the “why” or the “why should we care” that’s missing from the discussion.
Vice Quiz
Part of the problem stems from the use of a glib, mocking tone that is inappropriate for the subject matter. The actors Bale and Adams, who plays his wife Lynne, interrupt their own conversation at one point in order to make a comment on how Shakespearean everything is, and then transition into actual Shakespearean verse. In movies, I’ve always scoffed at characters who say things like “This only happens in movies,” but this is a whole new level of that same overly self-awareness problem. Moreover, don’t even get me started on the film’s narrative framing, which is provided by a mysterious character played by Jesse Plemons, whose ultimate connection to Cheney left me scratching my head as to what McKay was trying to convey by having him narrate this story. What is the solution? I don’t believe he is aware of it. And that is the most serious problem. McKay believes that hitting the beats of a true story in a clever way is the same thing as providing historical commentary on the subject. It is not the case. Making a reference is not the same as creating a dramatic piece of writing. Presenting a historical event in a unique way that other filmmakers may not have considered is only important if there is a deeper meaning to the presentation itself. Being different does not imply that one is less intelligent.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Vice quiz.
Christian Bale’s performance has received a lot of attention, but I found it to be more impression than insight, and Amy Adams is squandered in a role that she can perform in her sleep. Sam Rockwell and Steve Carell fare much better than the rest of the cast, frequently stealing their own scenes. Rockwell refuses to play the goofy idiot version of Bush that we’ve seen before, which results in a much more interesting character, and Carell doesn’t fall victim to impressions at all, sketching a bitter vision of Rumsfeld that may be the film’s most profound piece of historical commentary.
About the quiz
Cheney is a political titan in the United States of America. After September 11, 2001, he played an important role in shaping the entire world and our place in it. The circumstances surrounding his decision and the reasons for it could make for great American drama. Perhaps we are simply too close to the situation right now to see the big picture—we are still reeling from the consequences of decisions made by Cheney while in the White House, and historical biopics made while history is being written frequently fail to capture the full picture. Whatever the case may be, I believe Cheney deserved a scathing, intelligent film that would be as memorable as his political career. Even though my political views do not coincide with his, I can recognize that his legacy does not deserve something as toothless as the title “Vice.”Also, you must try to play this Vice quiz.
For more personality quizzes check this: Ready Or Not Quiz.
