Cheney starts out as a drunken Yale dropout. But when his wife, Lynne (Amy Adams), tells him to sober up, he does. He later interns under Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell), where he learns the art of political war. He later becomes Chief of Staff under President Ford. He's then a Representative for Wyoming and later, President George HW Bush's (John Hillner) Secretary of Defense. He also comes to accept his gay daughter, Mary (Alison Pill). And they all lived happily ever...
...No, they didn't.
Finally, he accepts George W. Bush's offer to be his running mate. Once he's Vice President, Cheney handles the War on Terror's most controversial aspects. His ruthlessness even divides his daughters. Meanwhile, Cheney needs to pay attention to his frail heart.
The film flat out admits that it's not totally accurate. But, as the title screen says, "We tried our (censored) best." Its storytelling methods are as unconventional as The Big Short's. There's a fictional narrator named Kurt (Jesse Plemons) to set the stage. Dick and Lynne have a faux-Shakespearean conversation. A fictional news anchor (Naomi Watts) chimes in for several bulletins. A waiter (Alfred Molina) offers Cheney and co. some tasty underhanded tactics. There are facts and figures, too. But the most off-kilter moment is a fake-out ending complete with credits (which I referenced above). It leads to a wacky take on a dour time.
Christian Bale as Dick Cheney is silent but deadly. His political maneuvering is masterfully executed. He has some humanity but he throws it out at the end. His most sympathetic moment is his initial desire to turn his life around. His story holds our attention for the film's 132 minutes. Bale is masterfully sculpted into Cheney's likeness by an Oscar-shortlisted team including veteran winner Greg Cannom (Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mrs. Doubtfire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).
The rest of the cast also stands out. Carell as Rumsfeld is a capably smug mentor for Cheney. Adams is equally sympathetic and conniving as Lynne Cheney. Rockwell's George W. is likable and amiable. Pill's Mary Cheney is the most sympathetic of the ensemble. Colin Powell (Tyler Perry) is just as good in his fleeting appearances.
Editor Hank Corwin is once again here to educate and enrage us. He'll educate you as Cheney's tenures are written on-screen. He'll enrage you with Cheney and co.'s bad behavior. It's worse when we see the consequences of their actions on innocent people. He and McKay are surely daring us to laugh at the crooked characters now. Nicholas Betrill's also Oscar-shortlisted score is as introspective and powerful as its subject.
Vice's mid-credit scene anticipates a bi-partisan political response. It's a bit heavy-handed as two panelists at a focus group (with McKay as the liberal) come to blows over the movie. It's this scene alone that might make or break the film for some people. The film that precedes it is a strong portrayal of a political schemer. Its laughs are uneasy but plenty. One way or another, its points will stick in your mind. Whether you like it or not is another thing.
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