In something akin to "Clueless" meets "All the President's Men" as filtered through the unintentional historical intervention/mishaps of "Forrest Gump," writer/director Andrew Fleming and cowriter Sheryl Longin deliver a constantly amusing sendup of the whole Watergate scandal that rocked the White House and the country during the early 1970s.
While never outrageously hilarious and occasionally feeling a bit like a "Saturday Night Live" skit that's gone on just a tad too long, the film does offer some funny "what if" scenarios and plenty of humorous performances from its talented and easy to like cast.
Just as in that Tom Hanks Oscar-winning film where a scene features Forrest unknowingly blowing the whistle on Watergate intruders, this picture is filled with plenty of similar moments that should amuse Watergate afficionados, history buffs and anyone in general who likes to see their elected officials raked over the coals, but in a lighthearted fashion.
However, much of the film will play over the heads of its target audience -- teenagers born during the Reagan era and distanced far enough from the early '70s that this might as well be about McCarthyism from the '50s -- and will play better to adults, many of whom will undoubtably skip the picture due to it looking like a teen flick.
Fortunately, it caters to both audiences and can be appreciated on two levels. Superficially, it has the trappings of any goofy comedy -- such as "Clueless" or "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" -- where some ditsy and capricious young women live their lives by their own unique set of rules. As such, many teens who could care less about politics will enjoy the film for that.
However, where the film really shines is with its retro look at "Tricky Dick," Watergate and the early '70s era. While the late 1970s and the whole disco period have been countlessly portrayed in movies, it's not often that the years preceding that time get as much attention -- at least not recently.
Not only does this film remind audiences of the music before disco -- often to quite humorous extremes as we're treated to some fun and funky songs long since buried in our memories -- but the clothes -- recreated by costume designer Deborah Everton ("Star Trek: First Contact," "The Abyss") -- hairstyles and general attitude of the time don't escape unscathed either.
Even so, today's kids won't appreciate the sight of Nixon watching "Love American Style" or having two characters commenting on the intermingling of their respective peanut butter and chocolate ("You got your peanut butter on my chocolate -- You got your chocolate in my peanut butter"), and probably have little if any idea who Bobby Sherman is/was for that matter. Nevertheless, those in their mid-thirties and older will enjoy such trips down this memory lane.
Such recollections aside, the filmmakers focus most of their energies on the Watergate scandal and the fall of Nixon, and it's here that they mightily succeed. While the easy target is Nixon himself, director Andrew Fleming ("The Craft," "Threesome") and first-time screenwriter Sheryl Longin have made sure to include the President's inner circle as well as "famed" Washington Post reporters Woodward and Bernstein in their overall satire.
Of course, the better one's knowledge and understanding of the Watergate particulars, the more likely they'll get and appreciate all of the jokes, but even those with just a passing interest in the scandal will certainly find a great deal to appreciate. From the origin of the "Deep Throat" informant to the explanation of the missing eighteen and a half minutes on one of Nixon's Oval Office tapes, the film offers plenty of counter -- and often very funny -- versions of the real historical events.
Beyond the cleverly satirical and otherwise generally amusing material, what makes the film really work it its lively and likeable cast. As the two ditsy teens, both Kirsten Dunst ("Drop Dead Gorgeous," "Interview With the Vampire") and Michelle Williams (TV's "Dawson's Creek," "Halloween: H20") deliver dead-on performances that are not only funny, but also quickly endear their characters to the audience.
While obviously not going for the serious thespian recreation of "Tricky Dick" that Anthony Hopkins gave in "Nixon," Dan Hedaya ("Clueless," "The First Wives Club") pulls off a quite hilarious impersonation of the President. While avoiding the expected and easy caricature, Hedaya's take is amusing throughout, and the scenes where his character interacts with the girls are nicely done and highly enjoyable.
The scene stealers, however, are Will Ferrell (TV's "Saturday Night Live," the two "Austin Powers" films) and Bruce McCulloch ("Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy") as Washington Post reporters Woodward and Bernstein. Just a "little" different from the portrayal of these two by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman in "All the President's Men," Ferrell and McCulloch turn the two into ultra competitive, jealous and bickering "partners" who ultimately confess that they won't reveal the identity of "Deep Throat," simply because it's too embarrassing.
Other supporting performances from the likes of Dave Foley (TV's "NewsRadio," "A Bug's Life") as Chief of Staff Bob Haldeman and Saul Rubinek ("I Love Trouble" and that other "Nixon" film) as Henry Kissinger are similarly entertaining.
Although the film occasionally feels a bit long despite its short ninety-some minute runtime, and the nagging thought that it might run out of steam and material -- like many films that should have been done as short skits often do -- is always in the back of one's mind, the sharp writing and good performances from all involved prevent the proceedings from losing too much momentum toward the end. Clearly a clever spin on the infamous scandal, we give the constantly amusing and enjoyable "Dick" a 7 out of 10.