Watch Dave For Free

Good start, but then it gets ruined

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

...or you have over-thought it!This is a classic masterpiece of feel good movie for the entire family that is timeless! Like the Wizard of Oz, it was not recognized at great in its day. It is great! The performance was stellar and this type of movie requires a spirit very hard to capture. It is fun, but not goofy (the anti-Adam Sandler movie). These types of performances are rarely recognized as great, but they indeed are great. This is a movie for family and friends to watch once a year. It needs an annual cycle on TV, at the right time of the year. WINNER is Dave

Kevin Kline dominates the screen as a man, hired as a lookalike to the President of the United States, takes the job when the real President is totally incapacitated. The powers that be need someone who can attend meetings, make pronouncements, speak to the nation, but under their total control. The man he is replacing is an insensitive jerk (imagine that) who has alienated people, but who has ruled with a big stick. The problem for the advisers and those in the cabinet is that Dave begins to see the bad things that are being done. Of course, at some point he is going to do something that will begin to cause problems for the people trying to control him. The cool thing about this movie is that things aren't simple. It's not like Groucho Marx has become President. Dave is a sensitive, realistic guy who has to face the consequences of his rebellious stances. See this. It is an underrated gem.

Historically, I have been very critical of movies that contain events that are logically impossible. Because of the charm, wit and kind heart of this picture, I am willing to dismiss any and all elements that may seem more-than-unlikely in Dave. This is how much I think of this film.I was introduced to Kevin Kline two years prior, in the excellent romp Soapdish, and to Sigourney Weaver five years prior, in Gorillas In The Mist. Both thespians became favorites because of these movies.Charles Grodin is my favorite straight man, and I laughed out loud at his scenes. I have been a fan of his since 1987's Ishtar. Kingsley is an actor capable of great depth, and I admired the restraint of great emotion he displayed as V.P.It was great to see Helen Thomas. We all miss her.Although Dave is mostly light-hearted and enjoyable, there is a serious aspect to it: It portrays the seedy underside of D.C. politics, in particular, those of the executive branch: Can chiefs-of-staff, prominent aides-de-camp or lobbyists for "foreign" governments really run the show, with the president being just a figure-head? Could a coup take place by events similar to those in Dave?Not exactly, but it is worth thinking about.The scene where Klein (as the president) sits and talks with a boy in a homeless shelter was excellent, as was Weaver's well-reserved show of support for it.The ending is ingenious and unexpected. Brilliant.Dave is entertaining-yet-inspiring. It is both frightening in its implications and emboldening in the moral capacity and expression there-of shown not only by the pseudo-president, but by most of those in his closest circle.I think we need something like the events depicted in Dave to happen in real-life. Then again, if we somehow found ourselves in the graces of a moral president, he or she would probably find themself immobilized or worse by pervasive greed, corruption and decay. The movie Dave shows us that there is always hope. Just don't let the light go out.

*There is a circle of ten people sitting in chairs in a draughty village hall, but one is empty. I stroll in, making sure I haven't been followed and take a seat. I link arms with my fellow members. I'm the last to speak, so I stand up, clear my throat.... And after a moment's hesitation, say the following*"Now I can be a nasty little cynic at the best of times, but when this lovable piece of fluff called Dave crops up on TV (even at 3 in the morning, natch) I have to tune in. Why? Because it is the filmic equivalent of eating a Crunchie on a Friday, that warm blast of hot air when you enter a shop on a cold day, listening to your Rice Krispies snap, crackle and pop... You get the picture. There's something about it that gives you hope... That even when humanity reaches it's lowest ebb and is run by scum-sucking parasites... that one selfless man can come around and change everything. It espouses simple pleasures, radiates genuine warmth and when it's over, you feel the world isn't quite such a bad place anymore. I know I'm rambling, but I don't care. My name is Mr Wright and this movie is my answer to phoning the Samaritans, taking an overdose or running under a steam roller " *Sits down, rest of support group give rousing round of applause and pats on the back, a chap hands out leaflets saying when the next meeting is...* 9/10