15 Movies That Thought They Were Smart But Totally Weren't

Vice is a biopic of Dick Cheney (Played here by Christian Bale) written and directed by Adam McKay. McKay uses a similar style to his previous film The Big Short; this involves fourth-wall breaking, lots of meta moments, dark humour and non-linear storytelling. The Big Short was smart and successful. Vice was not.

Why? Because The Big Short used its quirky storytelling style to tell a story filled with insight and emotional depth, so while it's not a perfect film it is certainly an interesting and engaging one. With Vice, there's nothing going on beneath the surface at all and its flashy storytelling isn't really clever because it doesn't actually say anything much.

By the end of the film, very little has really been explored about Dick Cheney as a man, as a politician or the general effects of his policies. Cheney is one of the most important figures in recent American history so a biopic about him was a great idea, but Vice completely blew it because it's so focused on deploying its unique storytelling quirks and not on any of its characters.

Unfortunately, Vice lacks any awareness about just how shallow it really is and as a result, it comes off as incredibly smug.