SPOILER ALERT
Director Adam McKay
The most blistering indictment of the GOP since Nixon’s presidency, with the long line of players who have led us to these dysfunctional times, all centering on Dick Cheney as the pivotal figure. An excellent cast with even the smaller parts shinning, but especially Christian Bale as Cheney, Amy Adams as wife Lynne, Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld and Sam Rockwell as President George W. Bush are fantastic.
My favorite aspect of the film is McKay’s willingness to play with structure, including having credits roll at the middle of the film as a gag, injecting a Shakespearean soliloquy after stating that’s not what this is, using a waiter (Alfred Molina) to run down the torture menu of the day, and how he uses the Narrator (Jesse Plemons) both off screen and on, especially teasing the reveal and paying it off. Lots of laughs, lots to be angry about, and an unapologetically liberal take (see the mid-credits roll focus group clip) on our disastrous political history since Nixon. Must See
Relatable Reviews
- Kenneth Turan in LA Times loved the film
- A.O. Scott in the NY Times was positive but measuredly so
