John Carroll Editor/Critic for The Movie Page (http://moviepage.hypermart.net/) Review of DICK.
Dick, starring Michelle Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Dan Hedaya, Will Ferrell, Bruce McCulloch, Dave Foley, Jim Breuer and Ana Gasteyer. Directed by Andrew Fleming. 1999.
Reviewed by John Carroll.
With the supposed "teen revolution" hitting movie screens everywhere, it is a shame that such trash as Drive Me Crazy is overshadowing and outgrossing sharp and witty films such as Dick. While the premise is a little crazy, Dick is able to keep its audience laughing through a strong supporting cast that looks a lot like a Lorne Michaels reunion.
The two lead roles go to Michelle Williams of TV's popular Dawson's Creek and Kirsten Dunst, who has recieved raves from such films as Drop Dead Gorgeous and also her guest role in NBC's ER. Williams plays Arlene, a ditsy 15 year old high schooler. Dunst, not to be outdone, plays an equally ditsy high schooler by the name of Betsy. The film takes place during the presidency of Richard Nixon, in the 1970s. Arlene and Betsy start off as two outsiders in a disco world, but slowly evolve. Unfortunately, as their characters evolve, they get less and less funny. Luckily, Lorne Michaels's graudates step in to carry the load.
Lorne's reunion in Dick includes current Saturday Night Live stars (Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer), past SNL stars (Jim Breuer, Harry Shearer) and the stars of Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy (Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch). These cast members provide the slick and slightly irreverent humor that fuels Dick, especially when Dunst's and Williams's characters lose the charm and hilarity that they possessed at the beginning of the film.
Dick starts off fast and furious. Despite the old "dumb blonde" cliche, Dick capitalizes on the sheer stupidity of the two main characters, Betsy and Arlene. They get their chance to meet Preisdent Nixon when they accidentally see a confidential list of Nixon paying off certain high office politicians. They become "official White House dog walkers." Plain and stupid comedy like this is a constant throughout the first half of Dick, and it works due to the irresistible charm of the lead characters. Dick never goes political, except for one funny sequence cocnerning Nixon's thoughts on the war.
As Dick progresses, however, Andrew Fleming (who directed and wrote the screenplay) puts his two main characters under metamorphasis. They hear Nixon's racial remarks and decide to not put up with it anymore. While this may seem like the right thing to do character-wise, it leaves an empty space in this film because Fleming seems to forget he is directing a comedy. Enter Will Ferrell and Bruce McCulloch.
Ferrell and McCulloch play Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the Washington Post reporters who originally broke the Watergate scandal. While not as funny as Dunst and Williams originally were, Ferrell and McCulloch are able to suffice for the rest of the film. Dan Hedaya, who portrays President Nixon to a dime, gives a strong performance throughout the film. Fleming seemed to have trouble transitioning his characters from good to bad (or vice versa), all except for Nixon, which is why Hedaya is able to give such a strong performance. He moves from the mischievous Nixon, trying to cover up everything, to a paranoid president looking out for every Tom, Dick and Harry coming his way. Hedaya's presence is welcome, and such a versatile actor is very beneficial to such a young cast.
Dick, overall, is a decent comedy. The cast is picture-perfect, whether it be the Lorne Michaels crew pitching in their efforts, or the young duo of Williams and Dunst portraying their ditsy, out-of-touch 70s high schoolers. Dan Hedaya steals the show as Nixon, and had Fleming been able to keep his characters the same, or transition them better, Dick could have been as great as 1999's other comedy studs, Bowfinger and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
Final Verdict: B- The Movie Page- http://moviepage.hypermart.net/ Reviews, Previews, News and So Much More!
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