capone666 DickThe White House would make an excellent setting for a porno, with all of its dick-heads, pussies and assholes.Unfortunately, the Deep Throat in this comedy is really a whistleblower.On the White House tour, Betsy (Kirsten Dunst) and Arlene (Michelle Williams) are whisked away by G. Gordon Liddy (Harry Shearer) and interrogated on their accidental involvement in Watergate.Dumb but dangerous, President Nixon (Dan Hedaya) appoints them White House dog-walkers.Around the oval office, however, they continue to unknowingly influence the course of history.When dismissed from office, they decide to tell-all to Woodward (Will Ferrell) and Bernstein (Bruce McCulloch), under an assumed name inspired by a blue movie.A witty re-imagining of the Watergate scandal, Dick has enough history to be educational and enough laughs to make history tolerable.Incidentally, the only ones having sex in the White House during Nixon's reign was Checkers and Spiro Agnew's leg.Green Light vidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

Steve Pulaski Dick is among one of the most charming satires of the nineties that I have seen, mainly because it does not stew in its indulgence and its leads are glowing and magnetic, making the film almost instantly win. The story behind those characters is intriguing nonetheless, involving the famous "Watergate scandal" that plagued and eventually ruined Nixon's presidency. It is also fitting to mention that Dick finally clears up the missing minutes from the "Watergate tapes" that any history buff or aspiring satirist would find hilarious.Betsy Jobs (Kirsten Dunst) and Arlene Lorenzo (Michelle Williams) are almost like the female renditions of Beavis and Butthead. They are two young and naive fifteen year old girls, residing in the Watergate complex, who sneak down one night to mail a letter, securing the door with duct tape, only to evade getting caught because, conveniently, a group of burglars had broken in and were apprehended instead.The next day, the girls' class tours the White House, and the two get separated, overhear important, confidential conversations between officials, and eventually go on to meet the man himself, President Richard Nixon, played by the ever-so-talented and hilariously over-the-top Dan Hedaya. Nixon grows concerned about how much the girls know about this secret scandal, and kindly offers them the job of becoming the official White House dogwalkers, walking Checkers every day. They can't refuse - they are smitten by Nixon. Call him "Dick." The film then connects all of the Watergate pieces together; how the scandal become known, how the tapes were discovered, the story of "Deep Throat," and how two bumbling reporters (Will Ferrell and Bruce McCulloch) would become famous. All these pieces are put together to assure sly, devilishly intriguing satire of unbelievable proportions.Both Dunst and Williams are one of the two key reasons why Dick is so buoyant and a capable satire. They ignite electric chemistry, immediately giving providing us with an overwhelming feel of hip sassiness, not to mention just their total confidence with this material. Let's just hope their fans will be attracted to this unique, extraordinarily different material. It worked for The Virgin Suicides, if we're talking about Dunst.The second reason why the film maintains such a favorable status is Hedaya's exceptionally witty performance as Richard Nixon. Right down to his haircut and accent, Hedaya throws himself in this role, completely cementing the film's wonderful charm and essence. But let's not overlook that screenplay by Andrew Fleming and Sheryl Longin, which manages to direct itself away from satirical dead-ends, overwrought dialog, and complete heavy-handedness. This is certainly one of the feistiest, most intelligent pieces of comedy from the nineties.Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Michell Williams, Dan Hedaya, Will Ferrell, and Bruce McCullouch. Directed by: Andrew Fleming.

Neil Welch It is always interesting when someone makes a cross-genre movie, even if it isn't always successful. The two genres here are teen comedy and political satire, not the most obvious of bedfellows. And yet, in this highly improbable tale of two airhead teenage girls who find themselves right at the centre of the Watergate conspiracy, the two genres mesh together perfectly. What's more, the film works well as both a teen comedy and as a political satire.There is a very strong cast, including a number of names in the early days of their careers. Kirsten Dunst was already established, but Michelle Williams, Will Ferrell, and Ryan Reynolds were less well known.As well as being an entertaining take on true events, there are lots of entertaining little touches (the Bernstein character, for instance).I thoroughly enjoyed this unusual and rather daft movie.

gentendo Dick is a culturally and politically charged satire that seems to mirror certain social images/issues that are current in today's world. As expected within most Neo-Classical comedies, Dick exploits the wide spectrum of cultural stereotypes. Included are: Blonde and ditzy teenage girls, pothead older brother, Nazi high school teacher, lime-lit newspaper reporters, and a corrupt presidential campaign (which arguably and ironically continues to be a heated topic in today's world). Each stereotype, perhaps, is a reflection or commentary on how foolish America was in the 1970's, but each that nevertheless carries a timeless quality in to today's governing politics. I mean, there was the naïve public portrayed as believers of whatever the president said on national television as being veridical; a pair of airy teenagers that wagged the Nixon administration and ultimately ended his reign as Commander and Chief (not to forget a metaphorical insight into their position as "dog walkers"); and a pothead's "magic" cookie recipe that accounted for Nixon's paranoia when being pressured by the public. Although all of these elements are a satirical blast on previous political campaigns, they may not be too far off from where we are today. Let me explain.First off, I must admit I am not historically astute. However, I was not blind to the film's heckling subtext that seemed not only to ridicule Nixon himself, but also those who are typical of his character today. We see so many scandals in modern times involving corrupt politicians that, consequently, we have become jaded to their importance (i.e. Clinton scandal; Bush conspiracies; crooked corporations). This film merely emphasizes the catalyst of that ongoing corruption, when for the first time in American history (independent of Johnson's impeachment) a president's authority had been publicly questioned. Although the public is more aware today and less naïve towards the encroachments of governmental power, we have substituted our naivety for skepticism and cynicism (two qualities that are equally, if not worse than what we possessed before). Today the president's authority is also bombarded with an arsenal of attacks (and more). I only wonder if they'll one day combine the stars of both Dick and Romy and Michele's High School Reunion to make a satire out of the Bush Administration. I wouldn't be surprised. While nothing is really historically revised to tell the tale, the film does humorously provide a stream of satirical answers to some of the most mysterious questions regarding the Nixon administration. Questions like: "What really happened at Watergate and who alerted the authorities about the break-in?" "What was on the eighteen-and-a-half minutes of tape that got erased?" "Who was 'Deep Throat,' and why the alleged pseudonym?" The answers given to these questions poke fun at how ridiculous the cover-up was really made out to be. Satires like this, I think, are made for one of two reasons (or both): 1). To release social tensions by remembering to laugh once in awhile at societal shortcomings, and/or 2). To make a political statement regarding the nature of whom, we, as societal members, vote for to run our country. Perhaps it's a little of both, but given the content of this particular film, I don't think it took itself too seriously.