DICK
/
1999
DIRECTOR: Andrew Fleming
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Alexander Gruszynski
WRITER: Andrew Fleming & Sheryl Longin
BUDGET: $13,000,000
GROSS: $6,262,878 (worldwide)
WARNING - the movie is called “DICK” so there will be sexual innuendos and penis jokes, both intentional and not (i have about 20 racing through my head right now).
I think the problem with Dick (that's one), and one of the reasons it failed at the box office was because it’s a tough film to promote.
The movie takes place in 1972-73 during the height of the Watergate scandal and the collapse of the Nixon presidency. Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams play two high school girls who become unwittingly involved in the Watergate scandal when they witness G. Gordon Liddy in the hotel during the bugging. They also get separated from their class during a tour of the White House and run into President Nixon himself (played by under-appreciated character actor Dan Hedaya).
In order to keep the girls quiet Nixon makes them 'official white house dog walkers' and then 'presidential youth advisors'. Eventually they begin to learn the truth about the president and the movie portrays them as 'deep throat' - passing information to Woodward and Bernstein in an underground parking lot (played by Will Ferrell and Bruce McCulloch).
So anyways, back to why the film failed. It failed, I think, because it wasn’t able to find its audience. The younger crowed who would be the normal target audience for a 'teen movie' weren't alive during watergate and were probably turned off by the historical aspect of the film. While those that were alive at the time and would be interested in the history would be turned off by the perceived silly 'teen movie' nature of the movie.
This is too bad, because while it is a little 'teen movieish', the film is actually a very smart and funny send-up of the watergate scandal and the era.
Strong performances, a good script and a great soundtrack make Dick worth while (that's two). Dick is a film that came one day and was quickly forgotten the next. It is however one that should be remembered, and will probably surprise many who had initially dismissed it based on preconceived notions about what Dick really is (that's three).