Starring: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Tyler Perry, Alison Pill, Lily Rabe, Jesse Plemons
Review: Gov. George W. Bush (Sam Rockwell) of Texas picks Dick Cheney (Christian Bale), the CEO of Halliburton Co., to be his Republican running mate in the 2000 presidential election. No stranger to politics, Cheney's impressive résumé includes stints as White House chief of staff, House Minority Whip and defense secretary. When Bush wins by a narrow margin, Cheney begins to use his newfound power to help reshape the country and the world.
Vice, for me, was a tale of two halves. The first half of this movie is mostly boring and sort of glosses over how Dick Cheney rose to political prominence prior to George W. Bush's presidency. The acting is superb with Christian Bale doing a fantastic job as Cheney. Amy Adams really excels as Lynne Cheney, and Sam Rockwell does a rather humorous, fun interpretation of George W. Bush. The second half of the movie is where Vice really hits its stride. The role that Dick Cheney played in George W. Bush's presidency is very interesting to see unfold. There's a lot of historical information here that is very insightful, and this film doesn't shy away from highlighting some of these unsettling truths. The biggest problem I have, is that with all things in our current political climate, there are two sides to every story. Some people will love this movie, and others will inevitably hate it. A lot of this film revolves around the September 11th attacks and their aftermath, but I think this is only a minuscule part of Dick Cheney's significance and footprint on our nation. It just seems like a lot of the story was glossed over, and maybe the first half of the movie didn't need to take as long as it did, instead focusing on some of the other more impactful elements of Cheney's career. Without getting too political, I'd like to point out that with all biopics, we only get to see what the director wants us to see. If you're someone like me who admittedly doesn't possess a terribly high political acumen, proceed with caution, and remember that this is a movie. If you're interested in this type of topic, definitely give it your time as the acting performances are well worth your attention.
Fun Fact: Christian Bale gained 45 pounds, shaved his head, bleached his eyebrows and exercised to thicken his neck for his role as Cheney. Bale said he achieved his hefty physique for the film by eating a lot of pies.