Michelle Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Deep Throat and DICK. The perfect combination, surely? No, that’s not my filthy mind, although it’s a perverted ‘foursome’ I’m sure we’d all not say ‘no’ to witnessing. Those are elements that come together and make this comedy an underrated and under-seen gem. DICK was a film I decided to import as one of my first DVD purchases in 1999, having not been able to secure a cinema release here in the UK (taking a further four years to hit the DVD shelves).
That’s thirteen years ago. Time certainly does fly.
It was a purchase I made after seeing a trailer on one of my other newly-acquired shiny discs. To be honest, back then I was buying any old shite, being so taken with a fact that a feature film could come on such a tiny thin plastic circle, as opposed to the big dual side motherfucking monster Laserdiscs I was picking up. Jesus, the things you gotta do to upgrade your favourite films! Blu-ray are now bleeding me dry once again.
Anyway, back to DICK. The plot sees clueless high-school stunners Betsy and Arlene (Williams and Dunst) stumble unknowingly into a White House scandal while visiting the iconic building on a field trip. Dan Hedaya gives an hilarious caricature performance as shamed President Richard Nixon (DICK to the young ladies), who decides to employ the girls as ‘official presidential dog walkers’ to keep them happy, believing they know more than they actually do. It’s a genius idea and makes for a fun-filled ‘biopic’ spin on Watergate. It’s a decision that has an adverse effect as Betsy and Arlene spend a rather unhealthy amount of time with DICK, admitedly on the advice of his shady spin doctors G. Gordon Liddy (Harry Shearer) and Bob Halderman (Dave Foley), who want to keep an eye on them. What did they see or hear on that first visit? Bugger all, as it happens.
A host of familiar faces pop up to portray real-life (famous and infamous) characters that played an integral part of one of the US government’s most disgraceful acts. With it, the film shows the lighter side of bringing down the ‘crook’ Commander-In-Chief. I’ve already mentioned THE SIMPSONS and SPINAL TAP’s Shearer and KIDS IN THE HALL star Foley, but it’s Will Ferrell and Bruce McCulloch who steal many scenes as clueless crusading journalists Woodward and Bernstein. Their relentless one-upmanship in attempting to the expose the Watergate scandal is gut-busting and perfect antithesis to Redford and Hoffman’s portrayal in ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN. It certainly helps if you’ve seen the 1976 Alan J. Pakula film, if many of their jokes are sure to hit home. It also gives us the identity of their mysterious source, known only as Deep Throat.
In the end it’s not the dynamic duo of The Washington Post responsible for Nixon’s demise, but Betsy and Arlene, who remain blissfully unaware of how things are behind the scenes, even when one develops a crush on dear old Tricky Dicky. If you know your history on the scandal, Nixon recorded every conversation he had in his offices and telephone, and mysteriously deleted one 40 minute tape when pushed to give evidence to the inquiry. DICK attempts to answer why he did just that in the finale… and it’s so damn funny.
The reason DICK failed to click with viewers either side of the Atlantic is its label as a ‘teen comedy’. Whilst it certainly is, the Watergate scandal-setting may have proved difficult for the target audience to connect with, especially the jokes. Some of the ingenius plotting and dialogue may have flown way over their heads, but in my eyes, it’s writer-director Andrew Fleming’s best work by a mile, which includes teen hit horror THE CRAFT, spy comedy THE INLAWS and Steve Coogan’s disappointing HAMLET 2.
Now, back to those thoughts on Michelle Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Deep Throat and DICK… a pleasure I’m feeling rather guilty right about now.
You can see the rest of our guilty pleasures here.
