Column: Reels with Ryan

 Ryan Klinker joined the editorial staff of the Champion in the Fall of 2018 as the photography editor. He has previously written and taken pictures for the Champion. Ryan is an avid movie consumer, with insight into directing style, screenwriting and acting. I am excited to announce the premiere of our new movie critique column with Ryan Klinker. 

-Chad 

Many people say America isn’t what it once was, but if you were to ask Adam McKay, the man behind 2018’s “Vice,” he might tell you not much has changed in the last two decades of our nation’s government. His film appears to be designed as a tool to convince audiences of that. 

The subject of Dick Cheney is interesting, though difficult to fact check because of how notoriously private the man was at work. One could liken him to an effective backseat driver, letting George W. Bush sit in the spotlight while Cheney steered the White House from behind. Before the title “Vice” was chosen, the film was called “Backseat,” and I suspect the aforementioned analogy relates to that. 

The meeting between Bush and Cheney, shown in the film’s trailer, highlights this dynamic, as Cheney says vice president is a “mostly symbolic job,” and he would take the position if they could “come to a different understanding.” Bush, played like a comical “good ol’ boy” by Sam Rockwell, takes another bite of hot wings and agrees. 

As for accuracy, the film begins with a title card stating their efforts to ensure accuracy despite the secrecy, but, as an article by Vanity Fair puts it, “that little caveat actually pries open a wide chasm of possibility, and badly blurs the line between fact and a filmmaker’s imagination.” 

This film is more creative interpretation than biopic, and the depiction of every political action — invasion of Iraq, passing of hot-topic legislation, and the dealings happening on Capitol Hill behind closed doors — is done in a narrative voice of both disdain and fixation. It’s almost as if McKay is saying, “Cheney was so cunning, manipulative and ambitious, you can’t help but be in awe of the guy.” 

Putting aside the weighty politics, I found the film to be serviceable for what the filmmakers set out to do, with the acting being the only remarkable aspect. Christian Bale’s performance fulfills all expectations following the other transformative roles he has become widely known for, perfectly embodying the Cheney of McKay’s story. A review by AV Club described his performance as “the most interesting and consistent thing about the film, which otherwise takes a spaghetti-at-the-wall approach to depicting Cheney’s rise.” 

One of the most interesting characters was that of Amy Adams as Lynne Cheney. Adams plays her as a modern Lady Macbeth beside her husband, pushing him to grab the next opportunity for power regardless of the means. According to many accounts of their marriage, it was Lynne who spurred Dick on and turned a blue collar drunk into the most powerful vice president in history. 

The music, editing, and cinematography all work in unison to establish the intended tone of ironic patriotism and a criticism of how distracted Americans were while the government worked in the figurative shadows. If you’ve seen McKay’s other foray into political satire, “The Big Short,” you’ll recognize similar storytelling techniques — fourth wall breaks explaining complex ideas, interspersed pop culture content, and metaphors illustrating the tone behind a situation — but this film does it with much less skill and craft. 

“Vice” received mixed reviews upon its release, and yet it has been nominated for numerous awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor. While it is a topic for another day, I cannot help but think the movie’s attention comes from the comparisons between the times of Cheney and the political conversations of today. A man who some believe to be overreaching and abusing his authority is in control of the country — does this theme sound familiar? It wouldn’t be the first time the Oscars rewarded a film for diving into the deep end of political commentary with contemporary applications, and it likely won’t be the last.