Dave (1993)
While Dave has been compared to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Gabriel Over the White House, it really is in a class by itself. It’s so delightful with a fantastic “what if” premise that everyone in politics has wondered about, and every single line in Gary Ross’s script is either hilarious, clever, or both.
Kevin Kline plays a dual role in this comedy: the President of the United States and a humble temp agency worker who sometimes impersonates the president in gigs for extra pocket money. When the actual president has a stroke, head honchos in the White House ask the impersonator to do his country the greatest service. Why doesn’t the Vice-President Ben Kingsley assume the presidential duties? Maybe the persuasive politicians, Frank Langella and Kevin Dunn, have more up their sleeve than they’re saying. After all, with a figurehead as the Commander-in-Chief, they can conduct backroom deals without any opposition. . .
How ironic that the man who helps other people find temporary employment gets the temp job of a lifetime! There are tons of perks to his new surroundings, and it’s great fun to see Kevin enjoying them. There’s tremendous pressure, of course, not only to act presidential but to fool everyone so they don’t suspect the switch. The First Lady, Sigourney Weaver, just might notice the change in her husband’s priorities, at work and at home.
If somehow 1993 passed you by and you didn’t catch Dave, catch it now. I’ve worn out my video of it and have recently upgraded to a DVD copy. It’s so fun, and so fun to quote. Political scientists and students will probably rate it as one of the greatest comedies of all time, and it is! It’s smart, sweet, hilarious, and hopeful. And it’ll give you at least ten new phrases to quote in your household. I still can’t sing “Oklahoma!” without thinking of Kevin and his bicycle.
More Kevin Kline movies here!
Kevin Kline plays a dual role in this comedy: the President of the United States and a humble temp agency worker who sometimes impersonates the president in gigs for extra pocket money. When the actual president has a stroke, head honchos in the White House ask the impersonator to do his country the greatest service. Why doesn’t the Vice-President Ben Kingsley assume the presidential duties? Maybe the persuasive politicians, Frank Langella and Kevin Dunn, have more up their sleeve than they’re saying. After all, with a figurehead as the Commander-in-Chief, they can conduct backroom deals without any opposition. . .
How ironic that the man who helps other people find temporary employment gets the temp job of a lifetime! There are tons of perks to his new surroundings, and it’s great fun to see Kevin enjoying them. There’s tremendous pressure, of course, not only to act presidential but to fool everyone so they don’t suspect the switch. The First Lady, Sigourney Weaver, just might notice the change in her husband’s priorities, at work and at home.
If somehow 1993 passed you by and you didn’t catch Dave, catch it now. I’ve worn out my video of it and have recently upgraded to a DVD copy. It’s so fun, and so fun to quote. Political scientists and students will probably rate it as one of the greatest comedies of all time, and it is! It’s smart, sweet, hilarious, and hopeful. And it’ll give you at least ten new phrases to quote in your household. I still can’t sing “Oklahoma!” without thinking of Kevin and his bicycle.
More Kevin Kline movies here!