| Vice | |
|---|---|
.png) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Adam McKay |
| Written by | Adam McKay |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Jesse Plemons |
| Cinematography | Greig Fraser |
| Edited by | Hank Corwin |
| Music by | Nicholas Britell |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Annapurna Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 132 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $60 million[1][2] |
| Box office | $76.1 million[3] |
Vice is a 2018 Americanbiographicalblack comedy film directed, written, and produced byAdam McKay. The cast includesChristian Bale as formerU.S. Vice PresidentDick Cheney, withAmy Adams,Steve Carell,Sam Rockwell,Justin Kirk,Tyler Perry,Alison Pill,Lily Rabe, andJesse Plemons in supporting roles. The film follows Cheney on his path to becoming the most powerful vice president in American history, presented withpolitical satire elements.
Vice was released in theUnited States on December 25, 2018, byAnnapurna Pictures, and grossed $76 million worldwide and was considered abox office flop against its $60 million budget. While the performances were universally acclaimed, the film polarized critics; some considered it to be one of the best films of the year while others thought it to be one of the worst, with McKay's screenplay and direction receiving both "scathing critiques and celebratory praise".[4][5] The film receivednumerous accolades, with eight nominations at the91st Academy Awards, winningBest Make-Up and Hairstyling. It also received six nominations each from theGolden Globes and theBAFTAs. For their performances, Bale, Adams, and Rockwell were nominated for all three awards, with Bale winning theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
Vice is narrated by Kurt, a fictitious veteran of theAfghan andIraq wars.
In 1963,Dick Cheney works as alineman inWyoming after dropping out ofYale. After Cheney is caughtdriving while intoxicated, his wifeLynne threatens to leave him if he does not become sober.
In 1969, Cheney becomes aWhite House intern duringRichard Nixon'spresidency. Under Nixon's economic adviser,Donald Rumsfeld, Cheney becomes a savvy political operative while juggling commitments to his wife and their daughters,Liz andMary. Cheney overhearsHenry Kissinger discussing the secretbombing of Cambodia with Nixon, exposing theexecutive branch's true power to Cheney. Rumsfeld's abrasive attitude leads to him and Cheney being distanced from Nixon, which works in both men's favor; afterNixon's resignation in 1974, Cheney rises to the position ofWhite House Chief of Staff for PresidentGerald Ford, while Rumsfeld becomesSecretary of Defense. The media dubs the sudden shake-up in thecabinet as theHalloween Massacre. During his tenure, a youngAntonin Scalia introduces Cheney to theunitary executive theory.
After Fordloses the 1976 election toJimmy Carter, Cheneyruns for Congress in Wyoming. After an awkward and uncharismatic campaign speech, Cheney suffers a heart attack. While he recovers, Lynne campaigns on his behalf, earning him a seat in theHouse of Representatives. During theReagan Administration, Cheney supports many conservative, pro-business policies favoring thefossil fuel industries, as well as the abolition of theFCC fairness doctrine, which contributed to the rise ofFox News,conservative talk radio, and the risingparty polarization in the United States. Cheney then serves as Secretary of Defense under PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush during theGulf War. Outside of politics, Cheney and Lynne come to terms with their younger daughter, Mary,coming out as alesbian. Though Cheney develops ambitions to run for president, he decides to retire due to lack of presidential polling enthusiasm for him and to spare Mary from media scrutiny.
Cheney becomes the CEO ofHalliburton while his wife breedsgolden retrievers and writes books. A false epilogue claims that Cheney lived the rest of his life healthy and happy in the private sector, and credits begin rolling, only to end abruptly before the film continues.
George W. Bush invites Cheney to become his running mate in the2000 United States presidential election. Assuming Bush is more interested in impressing his father than attaining power for himself, Cheney agrees on the condition that Bush delegates executive responsibilities to him and does not force him to take a stance againstgay rights. As vice president, Cheney works with Rumsfeld, legal counselDavid Addington,Mary Matalin, andChief of StaffScooter Libby to exercise control of keyforeign policy and defense decisions.
In the aftermath of theSeptember 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Cheney and Rumsfeld maneuver to initiate and preside over the U.S. invasionsof Afghanistan andIraq. Various other events from his vice presidency are depicted, including his endorsement of the unitary executive theory, thePlame affair, and theaccidental shooting ofHarry Whittington. Cheney's actions lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths and the rise of theIslamic State of Iraq, and he receives record-lowapproval ratings by the end of theBush administration.
While narrating Cheney's deathbed goodbye to his family after another heart attack, Kurt dies in a traffic accident. His heart istransplanted into Cheney. Liz publicly states her opposition to same-sex marriage while running fora Senate seat a few months later, and Cheney does not object. A distraught Mary distances herself from her family. Lizwins election to her father's former position in the House two years later. An irate Cheney breaks thefourth wall and delivers a monologue to the audience at the end of the film, declaring he has no regrets about anything he has done in his career.
In a mid-credits scene, some members of afocus group reviewing the film passionately debate the film's effectiveness and theTrump administration, while others are uninterested and would rather discuss the latestFast & Furious movie.
On November 22, 2016, it was announced thatParamount Pictures had come on board to handle the rights to a drama about Dick Cheney; the screenplay was to be written byAdam McKay, who would also direct.[6] The film was produced by Plan B producersBrad Pitt,Dede Gardner andJeremy Kleiner, along with McKay and his Gary Sanchez partnersWill Ferrell and Kevin Messick.[6] Bale signed on to play Cheney in April 2017, and gained 40 pounds (18 kg) for the role.[7][8]
On August 22,Bill Pullman was cast asNelson Rockefeller (though he did not appear in the finished film), and a title,Backseat, was announced. It was later changed toVice.[9] On August 31, Sam Rockwell was cast as George W. Bush.[10] In September 2017, Adam Bartley joined the cast.[11]
Principal production commenced in late September 2017.[12] Tyler Perry and Lily Rabe joined the film in October as Colin Powell and Liz Cheney, respectively.[13][14]
The film premiered at theSamuel Goldwyn Theater inBeverly Hills, California, on December 11, 2018.[15]
Vice was released in both Canada and the United States on December 25, 2018[16] alongsideHolmes & Watson.[17] It was previously scheduled for release on December 14, 2018.[18] The film opened in theU.K. on January 25, 2019, with most ofEurope andHong Kong following with February 2019release dates.[19][better source needed]
Vice was released onBlu-ray Disc and DVD by20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on April 2, 2019.[20]
Vice grossed $47.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $28.2 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $76.1 million, against a production budget of $60 million.[3] In May 2024,Variety reported that the film had never turned a profit.[21]
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongsideHolmes & Watson on Christmas Day and was projected to gross around $13 million from 2,378 theaters over its first six days.[22][23] It made $4.8 million on its first day and $2.9 million on its second.[24] The film went on to have a first weekend gross of $7.8 million, for a six-day total of $17.7 million.[25] According toThe Hollywood Reporter, the film performed its "best on both coasts, versus America's heartland, although some theaters in markets includingDallas,Houston andPhoenix turned in respectable business".[26] It then made $5.8 million in its second weekend and $3.3 million in its third.[27][28]
Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,Vice has an approval rating of 64% based on 366 reviews, with 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."[29] OnMetacritic, the film has a weighted average score 61 out of 100, based on 54 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[30] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale, while those atPostTrak gave it an overall positive score of 72% and a 49% "definite recommend".[24] The critical response toVice made it one of the worst-reviewed films to ever be nominated for Best Picture at theAcademy Awards.[31][32][33]
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Todd McCarthy ofThe Hollywood Reporter, who named the film his favorite of 2018, wrote: "Across the board inVice, 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".[34] Eric Kohn ofIndieWire 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".[35] By contrast,Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian awarded the film 4/5 stars, and wrote that Bale "captur[es] the former vice-president's bland magnificence in Adam McKay's entertainingly nihilist biopic".[36]
Rolling Stone film criticPeter Travers praised the film, giving it a 4/5 rating and writing: "Adam McKay's flamethrowing take on Dick Cheney, played by a shockingly brilliant Christian Bale, polarizes by being ferociously funny one minute, bleakly sorrowful the next, and ready to indict the past in the name of our scarily uncertain future."[37]
Stephanie Zacharek ofTime gave the film a negative review, describingVice as an "exhausting film that turns Dick Cheney into a cartoon villain".[38]Ikon London Magazine, while praising the make-up artistry ofGreg Cannom,[39] noted that "the story reminds of a witch hunt".[40]
Ann Hornaday ofThe Washington Post praised Bale's performance as Cheney but criticized the story pacing, awarding the film 2/5 stars. Hornaday had issues with the film's structure, writing that the film is "a mess, zigging here and zagging there, never knowing quite when to end, and when it finally does, leaving few penetrating or genuinely illuminating ideas to ponder".[41] Similarly, Scott Mendelson ofForbes praised Bale's andAmy Adams's performances, but criticized the film as a "cinematic mediocrity".[42]
Numerous scenes from the film were identified as being historically inaccurate, heavily dramatized, or presented without necessary context.[43][44][45][46]Politifact stated that in certain scenes, "the line between historic facts and poetic interpretation gets fuzzy".[43]
During the early scene when Cheney first arrives for his congressional internship program in 1969, it is depicted that Cheney still has not yet decided whom he will work for and decides to work withIllinois's 13th district Congressman,Donald Rumsfeld following Cheney listening to and admiring Rumsfeld's speech. In real-life,Dick Cheney, who had been affiliated with the Republican Party and conservatism prior to his government service work, was actually introduced to Donald Rumsfeld by Rumsfeld's colleague in the House of Representatives, CongressmanWilliam A. Steiger from the6th district of Wisconsin, to work under Rumsfeld when he was appointed by President Richard Nixon as Director of theOffice of Economic Opportunity and needed more staff to work with. During Rumsfeld's tenure as Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, Rumsfeld also brings along his old protégé from Rumsfeld's time atPrinceton University,Frank Carlucci to work along with Dick Cheney to assist Rumsfeld with tasks as Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity. Carlucci later succeeded Rumsfeld as Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity when Rumsfeld was appointed as Counselor to the President by President Nixon. Rumsfeld, Cheney and Carlucci would all later serve asUnited States Secretary of Defense.[47][48]
An important scene in the film that depicts Dick Cheney conversing withAntonin Scalia in the mid-1970s about expanding the power of the executive branch is totally fictional. However, Cheney campaigned for increased presidential authority.[43] In the scene, the "theory of the unitary executive" is mentioned although the phrase did not become used by legal scholars until the late 1980s. Politifact says that the film also "butchers" the meaning of the unitary executive when in reality, the theory says the president has ultimate control over the executive branch. However, the film represents the theory as advocating for the president to have unlimited powers.[43]
McKay was criticized for going soft on Democrats for their role in the Iraq War in the film, which he later said was a mistake. "I regret not giving more blame to the Democrats, who went along with the war in Iraq...I made mistakes, read the reviews and went, 'Yes, fair,'" he toldVariety in March 2022.[49]
Dick Cheney's daughter and CongresswomanLiz Cheney criticized Christian Bale for his portrayal of her father inVice, remarking during aFox & Friends interview that "he finally had the chance to play a real superhero, and he clearly screwed it up". Liz also responded negatively to Bale's acceptance speech for winning the Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical Golden Globe for his portrayal of Cheney, in which the actor thankedSatan for inspiring him to play the role of Cheney.[50][51][52]
Vice has received multiple awards and nominations, and was nominated for sixGolden Globe Awards at the76th annual ceremony, the most nominations of any film,[53] with Bale winning forGolden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.[54] The film was subsequently nominated for eight awards at the91st Academy Awards (winningBest Make-Up and Hairstyling),[55] nine awards at the24th Critics' Choice Awards (winningBest Actor andBest Actor in a Comedy for Bale),[56] six awards at the72nd British Academy Film Awards (winningBest Editing),[57] and 4 nominations at the8th AACTA International Awards.[58]
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