Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Isobel Lewis

Adam McKay says he ‘f***ed up’ Dick Cheney biopic Vice by not ‘blaming’ Democrats

Annapurna/Kobal/Shutterstock

Adam McKay has admitted that he thinks he “f***ed up” Dick Cheney biopic Vice.

Released in 2018, the film starred Christian Bale as George W Bush’s vice president.

At the time, Vice divided critics, who called it “busy yet insubstantial” and criticised its “baffling” tone.

In a new interview with The Sunday Times, writer and director McKay said that his critics had been right when it came to the film.

“I f***ed up Vice,” he said.

“I had a heart attack in post production. I made mistakes, read the reviews and went, ‘Yes, fair.’”

McKay said that he regretted “not giving more blame to the Democrats, who went along with the war in Iraq” but had only realised his mistakes six months after the film was released.

Christian Bale as Dick Cheney in ‘Vice’ (Annapurna/Kobal/Shutterstock)

McKay’s latest film Don’t Look Up was similarly polarising among critics, which the writer says surprised him more.

“No comedy is for everyone,” he said. “I was still surprised by the anger from critics. I saw a comment after the marches in France that said, ‘At least something good came out of that terrible movie.’

“The guy couldn’t just look at thousands marching to save our planet – he still had to hate the movie!”

Don’t Look Up is nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.