Vice
(Annapurna Pictures)
By Lucas Allen
Politics can be confusing, but also hilarious when its looked at in the long run.
Writer/director Adam McKay takes us back to an earlier era in politics, proving there’s no shortage of crazy in the White House. “Vice” is biting satire and scathing commentary on a figure who worked behind the scenes,and who not a lot of people know about.
McKay doesn’t hold back when he takes aim at the system in a way that would make Sacha Baron Cohen blush. The story is told by an ordinary citizen (Jesse Plemons) who seems to know everything that’s going on.
It started in the 1960s, when Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) went from college dropout to working his way up in Washington. Eventually he and Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carrell) are working in the Richard Nixon administration, where he learns about the ins-and-outs of power in the White House.
After Nixon’s resignation, his wife Lynne (Amy Adams) helps him achieve his political aspirations in Wyoming in spite of the many heart attacks he’s had. However, he’s left unsure of his political future after finding out his youngest daughter Mary (Alison Pill) is a lesbian. He then spends the rest of the 20th century as CEO of the multi-corporation Halliburton.
It’s then we get to the meat of the story, when George W. Bush (Sam Rockwell) chooses Dick to be his vice president in the 2000 election. After the controversial election victory, Cheney starts to become the “man-in-charge” for the Bush administration by putting his control over the cabinet. When 9/11 happens, it gives Cheney the opportunity to control Iraq’s oil supply by creating the war on terror. His actions during the Bush years will cause a chain reaction affecting our country.
It seems clear from the beginning that the movie is simply an anti-Cheney film. There’s nothing nice to describe him in the slightest of sense, which could be the filmmaker’s intent. It comes off as a one-sided, punch-in-the-gut declaration of the things he did during his tenure at the White House. Whether or not you agree with this movie in the way it portrayed the real Cheney and his family, at least it gives viewers something to discuss with others and compare those events to today’s politics.
Much like his previous film “The Big Short,” McKay treats the film like a documentary as told by the characters, while mixing comedy and drama to sum up his point. Though tonally inconsistent at times, it’s still clear what the film is trying to say when looking at the real world events of the past compared with today’s perspective. It would’ve been better if they stuck to a lighter tone that they originally were planning, but then we would’ve felt weirded-out by seeing delightful variations of wartime atrocities.
One thing you can’t take away from this film is how well the cast plays out. Bale transforms himself into Cheney with the same level of commitment he’s brought to his other roles. He gained 40 pounds for the role and isn’t afraid to let it all hang out for the sake of a performance. The awards buzz he has gotten for his efforts are well deserved. Adams and Carell are also in top form bringing to life the characters who has seen it all. Though he looks a little too skinny for the role, Rockwell still manages to tap into Dubya’s mannerisms and body language.
“Vice”could be seen as “The Babe Ruth Story” of political biopics, but at least this film has a genuine focus what it wants to say about its subject. It was made to shake up what we already know about the subject and get us to debate on the truth on the matter. It’s still worth watching for the cast alone, but don’t expect any real resolution.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: R (for language and some violent images)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 2.75 Stars (Out of Four)
