Dick (1999)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Andrew Fleming

Writers (WGA):

Andrew Fleming (written by) &
Sheryl Longin (written by)

Release Date:

4 August 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

He was tricky. They were better.

Plot:

Story of two girls who wander away from a White House tour and meet President Nixon.

Plot Keywords:

Teenager | Unlikely Hero | Scandal | Whistleblower | Friendship

Awards:

4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Oct. 19

12:00 AM

OXYGEN

Cast

Kirsten Dunst	...	Betsy Jobs
Michelle Williams	...	Arlene Lorenzo
Dan Hedaya	...	President Richard M. Nixon
Will Ferrell	...	Bob Woodward
Bruce McCulloch	...	Carl Bernstein
Teri Garr	...	Helen Lorenzo
Dave Foley	...	Bob Haldeman
Jim Breuer	...	John Dean
Ana Gasteyer	...	Rose Mary Woods
Harry Shearer	...	G. Gordon Liddy
Saul Rubinek	...	Henry Kissinger
Devon Gummersall	...	Larry Jobs
Ted McGinley	...	Roderick
Ryan Reynolds	...	Chip
G.D. Spradlin	...	Ben Bradlee

Also Known As:

Dick, les coulisses de la présidence (France)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sex-related humor, drug content and language.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

France | Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #36541) | Finland:K-3 | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Chile:14 | France:U | Germany:6 | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Lawrence Park C.I., Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Canal+ Droits Audiovisuels

Trivia:

Director Andrew Fleming wanted the feel of a 1970s movie and tried to frame scenes as he thought they might have been framed in a comedy from that era. He also used analog tape editing tools, rather than digital, to maintain this feel.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Arlene Lorenzo is shown in the Oval Office singing Olivia Newton John's "I Honestly Love You," which was not released until 1974.

Quotes:

Betsy Jobs: It's called incest Arlene, and it's against the law

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (1999-08-07)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Crocodile Rock

Hilarious Satire of the Watergate Scandal

My husband and I laughed uproariously throughout "Dick."

As the youngest ones in the audience, I later heard the women in the Ladies Room afterwards complain that it was not respectful to a president -I said "Have you ever heard of satire?".

As it is, I wonder if younger folks who don't know the details of the Watergate scandal would get all the jokes? My son had to answer a homework question the other day on Watergate and just used Encarta as a source - and says that's it, he knows everything about it. It does help to know about Rosemary and the 18 minute tape gap (though Arlo Guthrie's alternative explanation is equally funny.) One also does have to get references to Gordon Liddy and the Plumbers, Checkers, Nixon and his youth outreach, Kissinger's ego, John Dean's crisis of conscience, etc. It also helps to have seen "All the President's Men" because this movie skewers that one hilariously, taking Woodward and Bernstein effectively off their pedestals.

It probably could be funny without that foreknowledge --but not nearly as much.

Dan Hedaya seems born to play Nixon, much better than Rich Little. Saul Rubinek is terrific as Kissinger. Dave Foley is not great as the fearsome Haldeman.

I'm not sure all the music was actually year accurate, but regardless the numbers (I only spotted one cover version over the credits, with the rest the original songs) were chosen wonderfully well for very funny commentary.

The clothes were also accurate, though I was bothered by the opening paean to Bobby Sherman - I thought I remember him being on "Shindig" circa 1965 such that "Teen Beat" magazine or whatever wouldn't have been featuring him in 1972-- wouldn't a Partridge or some such have been more appropriate?

(originally written 8/8/1999)