The 1999 political comedy Dick is a hilarious film. An absolute bomb in theaters (it grossed $6.2 million domestic), this is one of those films that’s found a long shelf life on cable, movie channels, and DVD (no Blu available as of yet). Reimagining Watergate-era Richard Nixon shenanigans through the prism of the “dumb-blonde” comedy, the film was energetically directed by Andrew Fleming (The Craft, Hamlet 2) from an extremely clever screenplay that he co-wrote with Sheryl Longin, and has a ridiculous cast top-lined by the terrifically funny duo of Michelle Williams and Kirsten Dunst as two clueless high-school girls who get pulled into political conspiracies and life at the White House. Dan Hedaya was priceless as Tricky Dick, getting a chance to flex his sharp comedic muscles, and the obscene supporting cast includes highly amusing work from Will Ferrell, Dave Foley, Jim Breuer, Teri Garr, Bruce McCulloch, Harry Shearer, Saul Rubinek, and Ryan Reynolds. Despite favorable reviews with some critics REALLY going to bat for it, teens weren’t interested, probably unimpressed by the period/political context, and adults were confused as to who the film was “for.” It was likely overshadowed, to a certain degree, by the high-school satire Election, which had been released a few months earlier to overwhelming critical acclaim but to even less box-office; the emergence of Alexander Payne and Reese Witherspoon was still fresh on many people’s cinematic minds. Regardless, Dick is one of those comedies where so many jokes hit and hit hard, with a plot that never stalls out, with genuinely smart comedy ruling the day rather than cheap gags taking central stage.
Podcasting Them Softly 