The Poetic License of the movie "Vice"
This is for those who have seen the movie.
After seeing this movie, I have to question how much liberty we may permit someone to take with a living historical figure. One which the creators of the movie oppose on ideological grounds. The director (and inspirational force) of this movie was Adam McKay.
Adam McKay
Mr McKay was formerly the head writer for "Saturday Night Live" for two seasons. For those who may not know "SNL" does comedy with a heavy dose of leftist political dogma. McKay identifies himself as a "Democratic Socialist", you know, that novel phrase we are suddenly hearing from the far left.
credibility
The movie (in the tradition of "JFK" and "W") is more or less (mostly less) a version of historical events based on progressive perceptions. It follows the career of Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) from when he was given a government position by Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell) right up to the present day. Working for Rumsfeld he learned the three rules; Keep your mouth shut, Do as your told, Always be loyal. ( who wrote this stuff?)
In the beginning we find the young Cheney to be characterized as a drunken oaf, who may have been placed on the straight path by his always loyal wife, Lynne (Amy Adams, who is almost as stylized as the real Ms Cheney). Then he gets a government job via Rumsfeld and after years of serving in that position, Cheney somehow becomes a shrewd government tactician. A true insider. Quite a metamorphosis when you think about it, from drunken oaf to a shrewd opportunist!
the premise
The main objection I have to this plot happens to be the premise for the movie. That would be the scene where then candidate George W Bush (Sam Rockwell) asks Cheney to be his VP running mate. At first Cheney refuses, then offers to head up the search for a VP candidate and eventually instigates a deal in which Cheney accepts the VP position in exchange for being in charge of virtually all military & foreign affairs. I know that many might believe that something like this actually happened, but does there exist any real evidence of this "deal"?
highlights
They did a great job with makeup. The actors really looked like the people they portrayed. Another nice touch, if you hate Cheney, was the narrator, who's life is altered by Cheney's decisions and who ironically winds up being the donor for Cheney's heart operation. Every little negative in the lives of the Cheney's is touched upon, including the possibility that Lynne's father drowned her mother. As much as I detested the hatchet job on Cheney & the revisionist history, I have to say the actors all did a good job.
The tip off
Before the movie begins we have the following comments posted:
"The following is a true story"
"Or as true as it can be given that Dick Cheney was known as one of the most secretive leaders in history"
"but we did our fuckin' best".
Is this really entertainment ?
How many watch such tripe and think it's historical fact?
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