Dick (1999)
Everything I know about President Nixon and Watergate I owe to the 1999 film Dick. My history teacher in high school thought it would make us remember the details better if we watched a comedy, so instead of reading the textbook, he herded us into the theater and put on the film. Afterwards, he told us that the key plot points were based on history: the eighteen-and-a-half minute erased recording, the tape on the door indicating a break-in, and of course, the importance of two fifteen-year-old girls in the nation’s history.
If you’ve never seen Dick, you’re missing out on one of the funniest movies ever. Writer-director Andrew Fleming and co-writer Sheryl Longin created an incredibly clever story that incorporated the greatest “what if?” in history. As of 1999, the identity of Deep Throat had never been identified. According to the screenwriters, the anonymous source who had inside information about the Watergate break-in was two teen girls. Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams, the cutest best friend duo since Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow, snuck off during a White House school tour and accidentally met President Nixon. Wanting to be kind to the kids, he made them “Secret Youth Advisors” and invited them to come to visit him anytime. The rest, as they say, is history.
Kirsten and Michelle are adorable and completely believable. They don’t seem like actresses trying to remember their lines, but instead like teenagers really living out an unexpected adventure. With Will Ferrell and Bruce McCulloch as Woodward and Bernstein, there are so many funny parts to the story. It’s a direct parody of All the President’s Men, from start to finish. As the typewriter prints the date, Kirsten makes a typo and paints on white-out. If you’re lucky enough (like I was) to watch this movie before Alan J. Pakula’s classic, you’ll be howling through the two-and-a-half hour drama.
In the supporting cast, you’ll see Teri Garr, David Foley, Jim Breuer, Saul Rubinek (as a fabulous Henry Kissinger), and even a pre-heartthrob Ryan Reynolds. But a special mention goes out to Dan Hedaya. Of the many portrayals of Nixon, Dan’s is far and away the greatest. He’s so convincing, whenever I see footage of the real president, I sometimes squint to figure out if it’s Nixon or Hedaya. He’s hilarious and lovable, and the inevitable end breaks your heart.
With a toe-tapping soundtrack that puts you back in time to 1972, and adorable costumes that you wish you could find in a vintage shop, Dick is one of the funniest comedies of the decade. I’ve seen it close to twenty times and it never gets old!
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. When Michelle Williams and Dan Hedaya twirl around on the beach, the camera spins around in circles, and that will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
More Kirsten Dunst movies here!
If you’ve never seen Dick, you’re missing out on one of the funniest movies ever. Writer-director Andrew Fleming and co-writer Sheryl Longin created an incredibly clever story that incorporated the greatest “what if?” in history. As of 1999, the identity of Deep Throat had never been identified. According to the screenwriters, the anonymous source who had inside information about the Watergate break-in was two teen girls. Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams, the cutest best friend duo since Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow, snuck off during a White House school tour and accidentally met President Nixon. Wanting to be kind to the kids, he made them “Secret Youth Advisors” and invited them to come to visit him anytime. The rest, as they say, is history.
Kirsten and Michelle are adorable and completely believable. They don’t seem like actresses trying to remember their lines, but instead like teenagers really living out an unexpected adventure. With Will Ferrell and Bruce McCulloch as Woodward and Bernstein, there are so many funny parts to the story. It’s a direct parody of All the President’s Men, from start to finish. As the typewriter prints the date, Kirsten makes a typo and paints on white-out. If you’re lucky enough (like I was) to watch this movie before Alan J. Pakula’s classic, you’ll be howling through the two-and-a-half hour drama.
In the supporting cast, you’ll see Teri Garr, David Foley, Jim Breuer, Saul Rubinek (as a fabulous Henry Kissinger), and even a pre-heartthrob Ryan Reynolds. But a special mention goes out to Dan Hedaya. Of the many portrayals of Nixon, Dan’s is far and away the greatest. He’s so convincing, whenever I see footage of the real president, I sometimes squint to figure out if it’s Nixon or Hedaya. He’s hilarious and lovable, and the inevitable end breaks your heart.
With a toe-tapping soundtrack that puts you back in time to 1972, and adorable costumes that you wish you could find in a vintage shop, Dick is one of the funniest comedies of the decade. I’ve seen it close to twenty times and it never gets old!
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. When Michelle Williams and Dan Hedaya twirl around on the beach, the camera spins around in circles, and that will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
More Kirsten Dunst movies here!