Christian Bale as Dick Cheney, left, and Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush in a scene from “Vice.” (Annapurna Pictures)

Christian Bale as Dick Cheney, left, and Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush in a scene from “Vice.” (Annapurna Pictures)

‘Vice’ can’t decide whether to satirize or humanize Dick Cheney

It’s a scattershot look at the life of George W. Bush’s veep played by shape-shifter Christian Bale.

At the time, it passed by as jokey footnote to a political campaign: In 2000, George W. Bush appointed veteran politico Dick Cheney to chair the committee to select Bush’s vice-presidential candidate. The eventual choice? Dick Cheney!

Seemed kind of funny then — politics as usual, right? When Cheney became the most powerful and influential vice president in U.S. history, it was maybe a little less side-splitting.

Surely this incident would be ripe for lampooning if you’re making a satirical movie about Dick Cheney. But in “Vice” it’s typical of writer-director Adam McKay’s scattershot approach that the selection committee incident goes by without an especially effective set-up/punchline.

“Vice” never settles into a confident approach to its subject: It’s a comedy, and it uses some of the direct-to-the-audience silliness of McKay’s “The Big Short,” but it also carries moments of unexpected sincerity, which means a more savage kind of political satire — the kind detonated in “Dr. Strangelove” or “The Death of Stalin” — isn’t really possible. What’s left is a vaguely annoyed biopic.

Christian Bale, up to his usual shape-shifting tricks, plays Cheney with an extra 45 pounds and an astonishing impersonation of the man’s behavioral tics. The story reaches back to Cheney’s misspent Wyoming youth, where he is kicked into shape by future wife, Lynne (an effective Amy Adams).

Famously having “other priorities” than military service during the Vietnam era, Cheney is mentored in Washington by Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell), a Nixon insider. Carell is one of the film’s bright spots, breezily capturing the D.C. ethos of power for its own sake; his gales of laughter when Cheney asks him what conservatives actually stand for will haunt your dreams.

Bale has a great moment in this section: Telling Lynne that Nixon “gave me that impish smile of his,” at the White House, an image that would be terrifying if it weren’t so funny.

“Vice” isn’t pure satire; for instance, McKay humanizes Cheney as a man who loves his children. This sets up the movie’s most interesting dilemma: When daughter Liz runs for office in conservative Wyoming, the Cheneys must choose between political expediency and family — will Liz denounce gay marriage, despite having a lesbian sister? Will her father approve of this callous political gambit, despite having come out in favor of gay marriage himself? If you’re unsure of the answer, you don’t know Dick.

There’s a blackly comic meeting between Cheney and W (Sam Rockwell), in which Cheney humbly says he’d consider being Veep if he were allowed to take on a few extra duties, such as “military, energy, foreign policy.”

Fresh off his Oscar for “Three Billboards,” Rockwell of course brings humor as the 43rd president, yet his performance is never quite as delicious as the idea of his casting.

This is true elsewhere in “Vice”: the idea of Tyler Perry as Colin Powell sounds intriguing, but doesn’t develop. The idea of a mysterious onscreen narrator (Jesse Plemons) whose identity isn’t revealed until late in the film has potential, but it doesn’t add up. The idea of a scene with Dick and Lynne spouting Shakespearian verse sounds inventive, but it kinda just sits there.

“The Big Short” worked because it had a big target — the 2008 financial collapse — and relentless satirical bite. “Vice” is all over the place, as though changing its mind every few minutes. That’s a randomness its subject never displayed in his career of gaining and keeping political power.

“Vice” (1½ stars)

A scattershot look at the life of Dick Cheney (played by Christian Bale in one of his astonishing shape-shifting performances). “Big Short” director Adam McKay can’t decide whether to satirize Cheney or find the human within, and the result is a movie that sounds funnier than it actually is. With Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell.

Rating: R, for language, subject matter

Showing: Alderwood, Alderwood Mall, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Meridian, Pacific Place, Seattle 10, Thornton Place, Woodinville

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

What’s Up columnist Andrea Brown with a selection of black and white glossy promotional photos on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Free celeb photos! Dig into The Herald’s Hollywood time capsule

John Wayne, Travolta, Golden Girls and hundreds more B&W glossies are up for grabs at August pop-up.

Rodney Ho / Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Tribune News Service
The Barenaked Ladies play Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville on Friday.
Coming events in Snohomish County

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Edmonds announces summer concert lineup

The Edmonds Arts Commission is hosting 20 shows from July 8 to Aug. 24, featuring a range of music styles from across the Puget Sound region.

Big Bend Photo Provided By Ford Media
2025 Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend Increases Off-Road Capability

Mountain Loop Highway Was No Match For Bronco

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Mustang Convertible Photo Provided By Ford Media Center
Ford’s 2024 Ford Mustang Convertible Revives The Past

Iconic Sports Car Re-Introduced To Wow Masses

Kim Crane talks about a handful of origami items on display inside her showroom on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Crease is the word: Origami fans flock to online paper store

Kim’s Crane in Snohomish has been supplying paper crafters with paper, books and kits since 1995.

The 2025 Nissan Murano midsize SUV has two rows of seats and a five-passenger capacity. (Photo provided by Nissan)
2025 Nissan Murano is a whole new machine

A total redesign introduces the fourth generation of this elegant midsize SUV.

A woman flips through a book at the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Pop some tags at Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley

$20 buys an outfit, a unicycle — or a little Macklemore magic. Sales support the food bank.

The Mukilteo Boulevard Homer on Monday, May 12, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Homer Hedge’: A Simpsons meme takes root in Everett — D’oh!

Homer has been lurking in the bushes on West Mukilteo Boulevard since 2023. Stop by for a selfie.

Sarah and Cole Rinehardt, owners of In The Shadow Brewing, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In The Shadow Brewing: From backyard brews to downtown cheers

Everything seems to have fallen into place at the new taproom location in downtown Arlington

Bar manager Faith Britton pours a beer for a customer at the Madison Avenue Pub in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burgers, brews and blues: Madison Avenue Pub has it all

Enjoy half-price burgers on Tuesday, prime rib specials and live music at the Everett mainstay.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.