Are You With Us?: Dave
By Ryan Mazie
May 7, 2012
Gary Ross, who directed/scripted The Hunger Games (I am sure his final paycheck for that film will be close to Dave’s final tally), wrote the funny screenplay. Although rated PG-13 (I had to check this in a few places; surprising given how squeaky clean it is), Dave is a family film and the lack of deep political talk shows this to be true. Dave is never identified with a political party, making the film fairly accessible and timeless in a sense, not dealing with any major issues (besides the DREAM act which is unbelievably still being debated today), making Dave with us. The political climate was surely different in 1993 with Clinton at the helm, having the happy-go-nature of the President resonating to the public more than today, I’d imagine.
Kline is excellent as Dave, having chemistry with Weaver and a charisma that makes it understandable why the public and press eat his words up. Langella is menacing, but doesn’t chew the scenery. While all of the characters’ reactions are fairly unrealistic and the arcs are overly accelerated, this is more of a script problem (which let’s face it, isn’t relying too heavily on logic given the plotline to begin with). However, everyone seems to be having fun and Ross’s script is bouncy enough to support the 110-minute running time without flat lining.
Directed by Ivan Reitman after the one-two-three hit of Twins, Ghostbusters II, and Kindergarten Cop, Dave has a great comedic pacing to it. Reitman knows when to end a scene and segue into a new one with ease and finesse. Although it could be a little bit tighter, the fat left hanging isn’t entirely tasteless.
I enjoyed the looseness of the plot; however, too many scenes felt interchangeable. While in comedy it is good to cut the characters some slack to have fun, it is also important to have a stabilizer. The balance is never quite in sync.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film rests at a shockingly high 97% (among 38 reviews) and a perfect 100% among top critics. Critics cheered the film’s feel-good buoyancy and the new take on the old plot. The cast also got nods from the reviewers. Audiences seemed to bite, too.
Opening in second place on the second weekend of May to Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, Dave came ahead in week two. By week three, Dave was playing in 1,916 venues, a high number in 1993, especially for a mid-range comedy. Opening with $7.3 million, it was week two that Dave made $8.5 million. While films having very long legs were common back then, having a second week bump during a non-holiday frame was rare.
I loved the cast of Dave, which served as another good mark on their career report cards. It didn’t launch anybody’s career or dismantle it (Reitman’s follow-up films did that). Laura Linney (the woman the President is having an affair with) and Bonnie Hunt (a White House tour guide) are in the cast, but their roles are more of brief cameos, making it unreasonable to claim that this film skyrocketed their careers.
Being in an election year, I am sure Dave will be brought back into the conversation for people eager to get into the political mood with some laughs. Good for the family and a chuckle, Dave beats out a handful of D.C. set flicks, but just isn’t as memorable. While substance is more important than charm, Dave has just enough charisma and laughter to win my vote.
Verdict: With Us
6 out of 10
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