Vice is looking to be one of the most divisive movies of 2018


Depending on who you ask, the new Dick Cheney biopic Vice may be one of the best films of the year or one of the very worst.
Reviews started rolling in on Monday for Adam McKay's newest film, which stars Christian Bale as the former vice president. The reactions were far more divisive than one would expect for a film that received more Golden Globe nominations than any other. Vice currently holds a 62 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the aggregator where a film's score typically declines as more reviews are added.
On one end of the spectrum, Chris Evangelista argues for Slashfilm that Vice is "one of the year's best," awarding it a score of 9 out of 10 and describing it as a "blunt wake-up call." On the complete opposite end, Marlow Stern and Kevin Fallon argue for The Daily Beast that Vice might actually be the year's worst film, with Fallon calling it a "baffling tonal hodgepodge" and Stern saying it's the "most exhausting and frustrating viewing experience of the year," with some of its satire being "embarrassing and awfully reductive."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Meanwhile, USA Today's Brian Truitt awards the film three-and-a-half out of four stars, saying it's "exquisitely crafted" and "totally works," while Vanity Fair's Hillary Busis says it's "the worst trying-to-be-good movie I have ever seen." While critics overall are split on the film, they generally agree it's about as far from subtle as possible, with some finding this more acceptable than others.
Vice is angling for some Oscar nods this year, and stars Christian Bale, Sam Rockwell, Amy Adams, and Steve Carell already received Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Award nominations. Based on these first reactions, expect the film to become one of the most fiercely debated of awards season when it hits theaters on Dec. 25.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - free trade, judicial pushback, and more
By The Week US
-
5 educational cartoons about the Harvard pushback
Cartoons Artists take on academic freedom, institutional resistance, and more
By The Week US
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipe
The Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
By The Week UK
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US