A Reel Review: VICE

Writer and director Adam McKay first made a name for himself by directing Will Ferrell in hit comedies such as ANCHORMAN (2004), TALLADEGA NIGHTS (2006), and STEP BROTHERS (2008). In 2015 he stepped away from Ferrell and his comedy routine to bring us THE BIG SHORT, which examined the housing financial crisis of 2007 and took home an Oscar for it. That film used a lot of unconventional techniques to explain an extremely complex issue, and for his new film VICE, McKay gives complexity another shot as it takes a look at one of history’s most controversial and least-popular politicians. 

Dick Cheney (Christian Bale), rises through Washington D.C. with his wife Lynne (Amy Adams), forming an alliance with Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell) as he works his way through the Nixon and Ford administrations. After retiring from politics, he is brought back to the game by George W. Bush (Sam Rockwell) who recruits him into the nothing-job of Vice President. Hungry and ambitious for power, Cheney finds ways to elevate the job of VP before and after the events of 9/11. 

Using a non-linear, time-hopping approach, VICE follows Cheney through his life, starting with his troubled hard-partying days, and into his start as a politician. Early seeds are planted to explain his lust for power; the love of his life Lynne threatening to leave him if he doesn’t change. It’s a simple scene and a simple plot device to get the main character going, and it becomes clear that McKay isn’t out to skewer the man but to be a responsible filmmaker and flesh out his character. 

As the film progresses, things shift often. Cheney is shown as heartless (literally), backstabbing, and front-stabbing…while maintaining his role as a dedicated family man (a scene in which he embraces his daughter as she comes out to him is very well done). His drive for power, which he gains and gains in heaps, seems to reach back to his early scene with Lynne when she threatens to leave him if he doesn’t sober up, but how it went from ambition to lust is a bit of a mystery. McKay is very fair to Cheney; he lets the VP’s actions alone praise him or damn him, but VICE seems to be a spotlight on the man more than an examination.

McKay uses his tricks from THE BIG SHORT to get his point across; non-linear storytelling, narration, celebrity cameos, and heavy metaphors such as fishing for victims and ordering war-time strategies from a menu. Most of them work while others can be jarring. The film moves at a quick pace, and its 132-minute running time flies by. McKay seems to have a good eye for history, and the behind-the-scenes looks at 9/11 and the controversial 2000 election are very well done. 

Acting is outstanding and VICE stands tall as an ensemble piece. Christian Bale vanishes into Dick Cheney and is unrecognizable while nailing every tick and glance we remember from history. Amy Adams is equally great, and Sam Rockwell is a hoot as George W. Bush. Steve Carell seems to draw inspiration from Bale and does great work in morphing into Donald Rumsfeld, and Tyler Perry is surprisingly great as Colin Powell. A lot of figures from history appear and are well-cast, but the actor they hired to play Gerald Ford looks nothing like him; so bad it’s laughable. 

As great as the performances and the treatment of history is in VICE, the film often shifts tone so often that it feels like McKay couldn’t decide on a comedy or drama and he goes for both. It could have worked as either, but as both it can be jarring. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it gives VICE an oddness. But overall it is well-made, extremely well-acted, and gives a fair look at how things unfolded and how they led us to the current state of politics in 2018. Love or hate Cheney, VICE has a lot to offer. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it