History is cool! Nobody can tell me otherwise. Not after seeing “Vice,” that is. Writer/director Adam McKay is here to teach us a two-hour lesson on political history, and you’re gonna enjoy every second of it. “Vice,” as a movie, is cool and wild. It’s dark and serious when the narrative demands, yet funny and charming when it can get away with it—all whilst navigating the as-true-as-possible story of former Vice President Dick Cheney (Christian Bale).

In narrative terms, “Vice” is nothing short of a saga: a near-complete telling of Cheney’s life, from his teen years up until the present day. Although the film does jump around a bit in its timeline, the story is a mostly straightforward account of Cheney’s career in the Republican party: his ascension, his zenith, and the place at which he currently stands; a career made possible by two major external figures: Cheney’s wife, Lynne (Amy Adams), a steady, forward-looking presence to guide/keep Cheney on his path to power; and Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell), a wilder congressman who acts as mentor, then as friend, in helping Cheney make a name for himself.

Peripheral to Cheney’s career is the story of the entire Republican party, from the Nixon administration up through the 21st century. And with that, the broader story of American politics in general. An argument could be made that this is the true story of “Vice.” The tale of shifting powers that brought us to the pace we’re at today, with Dick Cheney simply being a perfect candidate to take us on that journey. Herein, “Vice” is a great film if you are like me, a college-age person who remembers little of the government before Obama, only becoming politically aware in the 2016 election, and now wanting to understand more of the history that led up to our current situation.

Now the caveat here is, of course, that you can’t and shouldn’t learn all of your history from movies, especially non-documentaries. With some ostensibly true-life stories, it can be easy to separate fact from fiction; in others, the stakes are so low that it doesn’t really matter. “Vice,” however, is not so convenient to watch, as the reality of the story is not so easily judged, even with McKay’s initial assurance that, with regards to the accuracy of the picture, “we tried our fucking best.”

In this sense, following McKay’s history lesson requires a leap of faith on the part of the audience. I’ve trusted McKay to give me the facts, but that doesn’t mean that you will too. Yet even if you don’t find “Vice” to be accurate enough, there’s still plenty to be enjoyed here. “Vice” is an incredibly watchable movie. Really smart, and really fun, I think you should see this movie. I think you would like it.