3099. Dick (1999)

Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams, Dan Hedaya

Director: Andrew Fleming

Running Time: 94 mins

Dick is an American film about two schoolgirls who accidentally become embroiled in the Watergate scandal after becoming separated from their class while on a tour of the White House.

A playful take on the Watergate scandal, Dick blends raucous teen comedy with a fun-loving warping of history. As a result, it’s a really entertaining watch for comedy and history lovers alike, and feels just that little bit more worthy than a procession of phallic jokes with no context.

There’s a lot to love about Dick (we’re going to have to get used to this – stop giggling), but one of the real surprises comes in the form of the excellent performances from Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams as two schoolgirls that accidentally find themselves at the central of the infamous presidential cover-up.

Despite meaning to play up their characters’ ditzier side, both Dunst and Williams are hugely likeable here, and that blend of childish innocence and more adult comedic tendencies makes their involvement in Watergate a hilarious farce, while the procession of jokes about Tricky Dicky surprisingly don’t grow tiring.

For the most part, Dick isn’t as repetitive a comedy as you’d think, and although its title gag pops up multiple times through the movie, it’s the Watergate send-up that really makes it such a fun watch.

Complete with a parody of All The President’s Men, with Will Ferrell and Bruce McCulloch starring as journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, this movie really goes to town on the history of the scandal that ended Richard Nixon’s presidency, with a great eye for detail as it makes up how Woodward and Bernstein came to meet Deep Throat, and who really brought the President down.

It’s not meant to be taken seriously in the slightest, but if you know the history of Watergate, then you’ll find this film’s brilliant capacity for parody and farce an absolute delight.

Funny, clever and wonderfully light-hearted, Dick is a brilliant political comedy from start to finish. It’s not a biting satire, but it is a fun-loving parody of history complete with brilliant detail, a good imagination and a collection of great performances. So, that’s why I’m giving Dick a 7.4 overall.