Columbia Pictures, Rated PG-13
Directed by Andrew Fleming
Written by Andrew Fleming & Sheryl Longin

Just when you thought all the humor that could've been squeezed out of Watergate was gone, along comes Dick, a film with a refreshing take on the scandal of 25 years ago. It's sort of a Forrest Gump idea and I was reminded of it on a few occasions, but it's still a very witty film with a terrific soundtrack and good camerawork. Betsy and Arlene (Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams, going the extra mile playing their characters) are two girls living in their own little world, oblivious to just about everything around them. Arlene lives at the Watergate apartments in Washington, however, and one night they do notice something strange. They soon figure out that someone is breaking in across the street for some reason. A while later, on a high school trip to the White House, they run into one of the same men they saw breaking in, which happens to be G. Gordon Liddy (Harry Shearer doing a good impression). John Dean (Jim Breuer, thankfully playing it straight) takes the two girls to an office where it is decided, by accident, that they will be the official walkers for President Nixon's dog Checkers (who was long dead in real life at this time but nonetheless). Soon the girls discover more and more about the Watergate coverup but being as dim as they are, it takes them a while to figure it out. In the mean time, Arlene develops a crush on Nixon (Dan Hedaya, surprisingly well cast), one of the funniest jokes of the film. The girls soon enlist the aid of two Washington Post reporters, Bob Woodward (Will Ferrell) and Carl Bernstein (Bruce McCulloch). Instead of taking a nauseatingly earnest, well-intentioned tone with the two reporters as we saw in All the President's Men, Ferrell and McCulloch pull off memorable performances as two egotistical, bickering morons. This is the exact opposite of their portrayals by Hoffman and Redford, but is probably closer to the truth.
Thankfully, no one is safe in this political satire, and it doesn't take sides. There is even a hilarious jibe at Clinton towards the end. It's refreshing to see a film that is so smart and witty, yet isn't afraid to make the most base of jokes. Also, the portrayals of "the president's men" by such actors as Dave Foley and Saul Rubinek are accurate but never over-the-top like Dana Carvey would do. The film has its shortcomings here and there, the "coincidences" do get tiresome at one point, but the film picks up speed and more laughs as it heads towards Nixon's demise. Unfortunately, this film suffered from Go syndrome at the box office by trying to appeal to two totally different demographics, not to mention that it was released on a terribly crowded weekend, up against the near-masterpiece The Iron Giant, the equally-witty ensemble piece Mystery Men and the unexplainable powerhouse The Sixth Sense. One only hopes Dick becomes a big hit on video, and kudos once again to Michelle Williams and Kirsten Dunst for showing they can carry a film and they are young talents to be reckoned with. *** 1/2