Well, our boy Quint finally set out to learn about DICK, following the example made by Moriarty to examine DICK. Many folks around Quint often accuse him of not knowing DICK, but after today... He can say that he not only knows DICK, but once he got a full hour plus taste of it... He really liked DICK. Oh sure, he says it drug a little here and there, but then... That's part of what knowing about the DICK teaches ya. So without further ado, let's get ready for the impression left on Quint by DICK...
Hey, Harry. Greetings and salutations, constant readers. Quint here once again with a review of Dick. Alright, stop it. No, I mean it. Stop giggling. Especially you, Harry. You know I mean the movie. Have you settled down? OK, now on to business.
Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams (of Interview With A Vampire and H20 fame respectively) star as two blonde ditzes who stumble upon the Watergate scandal and help bring everything to light... of course, they have no earthly idea what is going on through most of the movie. Wacky hijinks abound.
It's a little hard for me to write this review up in any kind of coherent way because Dick is one of those movies that you really don't feel strongly about either way. It's not awful, but it's not great. It's not mediocre, either. It just is, you know. Some of the comedy falls short, but some of it passes with flying colors, like the Hello Dolly scenes, both the cookies and the musical. You'll know it when you see it.
The actors were all well cast. Dunst and Williams both pull off their dumb blonde performances well and believable. Of course that incredibly sexy getup they wear at the end, briefly glimpsed in the trailer, was well cast, too. Though, I'd have to put the spotlight on Dan Hedaya as Tricky Dick and SNL's Will Ferrell and Kids in the Hall's David McCulloch as Woodward and Bernstein.
Dan Hedaya, probably most known as Alicia Silverstone's dad in Clueless or the hairy-backed soldier guy from Alien Resurrection, is perfectly cast as Nixon. Having been a fan of this character actor for years, when I saw the trailer for Dick, I was just pleased as punch that Hedaya got the title role. He is just perfect for the role. He physically looks like Nixon and even though at times over exaggerated, he has the voice down, too.
As for Ferrell and McCulloch, they just explode with chemistry whenever on screen together. I like the fact that they show Woodward and Bernstein as not exactly the best of buddies. They play out their characters like bitter rivals and it provides for great moments in the film. Are they perfect as Woodward and Bernstein? Yes and no. Yes, because they are the perfect comedy version of Woodward and Bernstein. No, because Hoffman and Redford perfected the roles in All the President's Men, the serious version of the Watergate Scandal.
The bad: the film dragged here and there and some of the jokes just came off as stupid. The good: some truly hilarious moments, again the Hello Dolly cookies, and some top notch, for this kind of film anyway, acting. I think that those who lived through the actual scandal and watched it unfolding night after night on their TV screens will have the most fun with it. There was a guy behind me that yelled out the names of all the players in the scandal as they were introduced on screen. "Ha, it's G. Gordon Liddy!" It would have been annoying if it wasn't for his enthusiasm.
Being a huge fan of the music of the '70s, I really dug the soundtrack for this film. A great, non-disco, selection of '70s music. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate disco, but it's almost a rule now in Hollywood that if your movie takes place or mentions the '70s in anyway, then you have to put in at least one Bee Gees song. It's a little refreshing to have a '70s movie with some good '70s rock and roll for a change. OK, it does have some pop, translated as The Jackson 5, but I can live with it.
I'd like to take a momentary tangent at this juncture. Care to join me? Harry brought this subject up in some of his recent reviews, but what's with the people that want to hate every movie they see. That want to break it down and only see the flaws? That refuse to have any kind of fun at all. I don't really see the point. If you won't let yourself have fun with movies like Deep Blue Sea or Dick, then why go? So you can complain about you wasting your money? Sure, the probability that two dumb blondes would just happen to find the CREEP (Campaign to Re-Elect the President) payoff list while taking a white house tour, then bumping into Nixon and being appointed Presidential Dog Walkers is about slim to none. Just about the same sort of logic, or lack thereof, is held in Deep Blue Sea. If there are big, smart, bloodthirsty killer sharks after your ass, then, when possible, stay away from the water. But you know what? That makes for a boring movie. Suspension of disbelief is essential for summer popcorn films like DBS and Dick. If you can't or won't do it, then it's more your fault than the movie's.
But, all in all, this movie has its laughs, though not as frequently as I would have preferred. I think you guys will have fun with it, especially those that remember the time period well. Personally, of the movies opening this week, having seen Mystery Men, Deep Blue Sea and Dick, Dick comes in last place, with Deep Blue Sea edging out Mystery Men by high gore points. What can I say? I have a soft spot for Jaws rip-offs, from Alligator to Piranha to Blood Beach, one of the worst movies with the best tag line ever. Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water, you couldn't get there! Gotta love it. Anyway, go have fun this weekend. There are three films coming out that are well worth a matinee price.
