"Vice"

At any other time I would have found this film hysterical.  Shot in a similar way as "The Big Short" this is an in-your-face romp which explores the path, and power, of Dick Cheney.  It has enough facts to bolster the narrative and enough good performances to drive the story although at times it does seem a bit choppy.  In a bit of a twist, I'm betting most viewers will not guess the identity of the narrator until it is revealed.  The problem isn't with the film.  The problem is with the era we are living in.  When I can scan headlines and see ten times more obnoxious behavior by our current baby-in-chief I find it hard to get motivated by the sins shown in this story.  I should be outraged. The movie shows a complete and total corruption of the American institution.  The fact that President Ding Dong has normalized unacceptable behavior is perhaps the saddest thing of all.  Which made laughing at this film difficult.  Added to that is the performance of Christian Bale, nominated for numerous awards as part of his work here.  Yes, he's good.  He's also an unqualified bastard who has temper tantrums on set and is estranged from many after threatening violence against family members during arguments.  What does it say that Hollywood is as guilty of promoting this guy as the government forces were of promoting a man like Dick Cheney?  I'm just saying.  Maybe the producers didn't fully get the point.  In any case, good film, wrong time to see it, won't vote for Bale as Best Actor.  I'm past the point where I can look at the work and not the person behind it.