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Vice
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Adam McKay
Written by	Adam McKay
Produced by	Brad Pitt Dede Gardner Jeremy Kleiner Megan Ellison Kevin J. Messick Will Ferrell Adam McKay
Starring	Christian Bale Amy Adams Steve Carell Sam Rockwell Tyler Perry Alison Pill Jesse Plemons
Cinematography	Greig Fraser
Edited by	Hank Corwin
Music by	Nicholas Britell
Production companies	Plan B Entertainment Gary Sanchez Productions
Distributed by	Annapurna Pictures
Release dates	December 11, 2018 (2018-12-11) (Samuel Goldwyn Theater) December 25, 2018 (2018-12-25) (United States)
Running time	132 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$60 million
Box office	$4.8 million

Vice is a 2018 American biographical comedy-drama film written and directed by Adam McKay. The film stars Christian Bale as Dick Cheney, with Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Alison Pill, and Tyler Perry in supporting roles. The plot follows Cheney in his desire to become the most powerful Vice President in America's history. It is the second theatrical film to depict the George W. Bush administration, following Oliver Stone's W., and the third collaboration between Bale and Adams, following The Fighter and American Hustle. The film was announced in November 2016, with McKay set to write and direct. Bale signed on to play Cheney in April 2017, and much of the cast joined throughout the rest of the year. Principal photography began in September 2017.

Vice was released in the United States on December 25, 2018, by Annapurna Pictures. The film divided critics; some lauded it as "cleverly biting" while others denounced it as "a clumsy display of political hatred," with McKay's script and direction receiving both "scathing critiques and celebratory praise". Despite the polarized reception for the film itself, the performances, particularly of Bale and Adams, received universal praise. The film received numerous award nominations, including a leading six at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

Plot summary

Vice is narrated by Kurt, a fictitious veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. The film opens with Dick Cheney and other White House officials and staff responding to the September 11 attacks. The film then flashes back to 1963 with Dick Cheney being stopped by a traffic cop for driving while intoxicated. After leaving Yale University, Cheney finds work as a lineman but struggles with alcoholism. His wife Lynne Cheney convinces her husband to clean up his life.

The film then flashes forward to 1969 when Cheney finds work as a White House intern during the Nixon Administration. Working under White House Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld, Cheney becomes a savvy political operative while juggling family commitments including his two young daughters Liz and Mary Cheney. On one occasion, he and Rumsfeld overhear Henry Kissinger discussing the bombing of Cambodia with President Richard Nixon. Following the resignation of Nixon, Lynne tells her daughters that "when you have power, people will always try to take it from you always"; words which have an impact on her husband. Cheney eventually rises to the position of White House Chief of Staff while Rumsfeld becomes Secretary of Defense.

The film then moves on to Cheney's career as Congressman for Wyoming. While running for Congress in 1978, Cheney suffers a heart attack. His wife Lynne campaigns on her husband's behalf, helping him to win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. During the Reagan Administration, Cheney supports a raft of conservative, pro-business policies favoring the fossil and fuel industries. Cheney also serves as Secretary of Defense under President George H.W. Bush during the Persian Gulf War. Outside of politics, Cheney and Lynne come to terms with their younger daughter Mary identifying as gay.

During the Clinton era, Dick becomes the CEO of Halliburton while his wife Lynne raises golden retrievers and writes books. As a practical joke, the epilogue and credits roll, only for Kurt to interrupt saying that the story is not over. The film then flashes forward to 2000 when Cheney runs as George W. Bush's running mate during the 2000 US Presidential Election. As Vice President, Cheney works with Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, legal counsel David Addington, and Chief of Staff Scooter Libby to exercise control of key foreign and defense decisions.

Returning to the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Cheney and Rumsfeld preside over the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, resulting in the killing of civilians and the torture of prisoners. As the War on Terror mounts, Cheney struggles with health problems including heart attacks. The film also covers various events in Cheney's life including his endorsement of the Unitary executive theory, the Plame affair, the accidental shooting of Harry Whittington, and tensions between the Cheney sisters over same-sex marriage. The ending of the film is also interspersed with contemporary photos of the European migrant crisis and the detention of illegal migrants along the Mexico-United States border.

A subplot of the film shows the narrator Kurt being killed in a motor accident while jogging. In March 2012, his healthy heart is transplanted into Dick Cheney. In a reference to the polarized nature of contemporary US politics, the film ends with a focus group descending chaos when a Trump supporter slams the film as liberal "propaganda" and violently attacks a fellow panelist.

Cast

• Christian Bale as Dick Cheney
• Amy Adams as Lynne Cheney
• Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld
• Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush
• Alison Pill as Mary Cheney
• Lily Rabe as Liz Cheney
• Tyler Perry as Colin Powell
• Jesse Plemons as Kurt, the narrator
• Justin Kirk as Scooter Libby
• Don McManus as David Addington
• LisaGay Hamilton as Condoleezza Rice
• Stephen Adly Guirgis as George Tenet
• Matthew Jacobs as Antonin Scalia
• Shea Whigham as Wayne Vincent
• Eddie Marsan as Paul Wolfowitz
• Stefania LaVie Owen as Joan
• Adam Bartley as Frank Luntz
• Kirk Bovill as Henry Kissinger
• Jillian Armenante as Karen Hughes
• Bill Camp as Gerald Ford
• Fay Masterson as Edna Vincent
• Alfred Molina as Waiter
• Naomi Watts as News Anchor
• Joseph Beck as Karl Rove
• Paul Perri as Trent Lott
• Alex MacNicoll as young Dick Cheney
• Aidan Gail as young Dick Cheney
• Cailee Spaeny as young Lynne Cheney
• Karolina Kennedy Durrence as young Lynne Cheney
• Violet Hicks as young Liz Cheney

Production

On November 22, 2016, it was announced that Paramount Pictures had come on board to handle the rights to a drama about Dick Cheney, who moved from Halliburton chief executive to become reputedly the most powerful Vice President in American history, and the screenplay was to be written by Adam McKay, who would also direct. The film would be produced by Plan B producers Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, along with McKay and his Gary Sanchez partners, Will Ferrell and Kevin Messick. Bale signed on to play Cheney in April 2017, and gained 40 pounds for the role. On August 22, Bill Pullman was cast as Nelson Rockefeller, and a title of Backseat was announced. On August 31, Sam Rockwell was cast as George W. Bush while Stefania LaVie Owen was also cast in an undisclosed role. In September 2017, Adam Bartley joined the cast.

Principal production commenced in late September 2017. Tyler Perry and Lily Rabe joined the film in October as Colin Powell and Liz Cheney, respectively.

Release

Vice was released in the United States on December 25, 2018. It was previously scheduled to be released on December 14, 2018. The film premiered at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills on December 11, 2018.

The official trailer was released on October 3, 2018.

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Vice was released alongside Holmes & Watson, and is projected to gross $14 million from 2,350 theaters over its first week. It made $4.8 million on its first day.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 66% based on 180 reviews, and an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Vice takes scattershot aim at its targets, but writer-director Adam McKay hits some satisfying bullseyes -- and Christian Bale's transformation is a sight to behold." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score 61 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an overall positive score of 72% and a 49% "definite recommend".

Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter, who named the film his favorite of 2018, wrote: "Across the board in Vice, everyone has risen to the occasion of their individual challenges, none of them easy, to collectively pull off a political satire that both provokes great laughs and hits home with some tragic truths." Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film a "B–" and called it "messy but ambitious", writing: "Vice, in its rambunctious and unfocused manner, takes some ludicrous risks to make cogent points about Cheney's malicious intent — and how he put his plans into action."

Accolades

References

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External links

• Vice at IMDb

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