Following the sequence of reviews of Best Picture nominees of the world’s biggest awards, aka Oscar, today in this one we’re going to discuss a little about the acclaimed Vice. The work, directed by Adam McKay, besides competing in the most important category of the night, is nominated for seven other statuettes, including Best Director and Best Actor. Christian Bale gives life to Dick Cheney with an impressive acting and physical transformation. The actor has already won the Best Actor award at the Golden Globes.
Vice tells the story of the most powerful vice-president of the United States of America, who ruled from 2001 to 2009 under George W. Bush’s government. His mandate was marked by choices and decrees that have generated (and still generate) catastrophic consequences for the USA and the world (such as the Middle East wars). Cheney, theoretically, wouldn’t have real relevant powers as a vice-president, but his insatiable pursuit for power has led him to have great influence over Bush.
Image Source: IMDb
The movie shows how Dick Cheney reached this influence and prominence in the government. One remarkable singularity of the work is the biographical type adopted, because the plot runs away from a simple story about someone’s life. At first, the spectators get the impression that will only be that in fact, but as the narrative goes on, the story turns into a critic about that troubled historical and political USA’s period thanks to Adam Mckay’s geniality.
With all the merits to him, the film appears as a strong favourite to win one statuette for Film Editing (category already conquered at BAFTA Awards). The political tension of that time in which the movie takes place flirts with the irony and comedic tone inherited form McKay’s previous works (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy e Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby) that, in my opinion, results in a fantastic and daring directing. Some point out that this drawing doesn’t work as well as in The Big Short and causes confusion and bore the public. (That’s why I recommend you to run to theaters as soon as you finish reading this review and tell us what you think!)
Image Source: IMDb
McKay has managed to produce a film that holds the public attention, explains the historical moment for the non-north-americans watchers, puts drama and comedy as allies and criticizes the political and social USA structures alongside with nominees such as BlacKkKlansman, Greenbook and Black Panther. In the (GENIAL) post-credits scene, all the doubts about the movie’s political pinch are 100% gone. The director manifests himself progressively and liberal, once again, with fantastic and atypical humor.
Unlike the director, the cast leaves to some uncertainties. First things first: Christian Bale is impeccable! The actor gained nearly 20 kilograms (about 44 pounds) to live Dick Cheney and it’s noticeable this political personality was studied thoroughly by Bale. The Hollywood heartthrob abandones the charming features that he used to live às Bruce Wayne and adopts sloppy and calculated features to give life to the vice-president.
In contrast to Bale, one of the cast members that didn’t manage to get ou of his comfort zone was Steve Carell. The entire movie is a balance between drama and comedy, but Carell didn’t appear to understand the strike and seems to be the same character from Date and The 40 Year-Old Virgin.
Image Source: IMDb
Last but not the least, Amy Adams looks brilliant but with little flaws. Her character, Lynne Cheney, is not well deepened developed (although being very important for the story), what, in certain moments, limits Adams’s brilliance. However, her nomination for Actress in a Supporting Role is justifiable, unlike Sam Rockwell’s nomination for Actor in a Supporting Role. Rockwell can’t manage to extract much from his character, George W. Bush. He just looks a lot like the former president. Only. However, this limitation is understandable since the film portrays what actually happened: a Bush limited by Cheney’s ambitions.
Finally, Vice is a movie that is still going to generate a lot of different opinions, but is in fact among the favourites to take home the most desired statuette of the night, unanimously or not.
And in your opinion? Who are the favourites to win Best Picture?