When Vice first came out on HBO, it simply begged to be parodied. Interesting topics mixed with titillation and freak show material, explored by ex-fratboys turned hipsters. Dude, it's Nelson Mandela, I can't believe we're gonna talk to Nelson "freakin" Mandela. Don't forget to ask him about his bong collection. After Moore came out with his brand of edutainment, documentary film making was taking a turn for the worse, but Vice is an all time low, in style if not entirely in substance. What substance. It makes Theroux look like a class act and a humanitarian by comparison. So why does it sound more like a review of Vice rather than Dronez, because it is a lazy parody, thoroughly reliant on the source. It hits all the right spots, though it does not get Smiths brand of duplicitous apologetics exactly right. There are laughs to be had, the problem is that I've already had them watching Vice when it first came out and I would not if I was not familiar with it. The coffee table gag was not bad, but overall it feels more like a heavy handed parody of a reality show than a documentary film. On a side note, Vice staff had to join in on the laugh, not because it has a self deprecating sense of humor but because that is what is expected. You can call it preemptive PR.
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