I am one of those unfortunate people who watch their favorite movie a thousand times, then never watch it again because they have the whole thing memorized.

Dave is one such movie. Because of this I would probably never have reviewed it --I prefer to review movies that are fresh in my mind, whether I know them word-for-word or not-- had it not been for a pre-Thanksgiving family gathering at my aunt and uncle's house. My aunt insisted on watching Dave in spite of our clamor to watch Sweet Home Alabama, using the age old claim that "it was my birthday yesterday, and this is my house."

So we watched it. I found myself enjoying it, which surprised me, because not only could I quote each line in my head before the characters said them, my dad and my uncle indulged in the same thing, only they did it out loud.

Now there's a test that not many films could pass.

But this epinion is not about the idiosyncrasies of my very idiosyncratic extended family. Let me tell you about the movie.

The Plot

Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline) is the childishly optimistic, semi-successful owner of a temp agency. This obviously doesn't pay much (Dave on his salary: "It's more of a barter kind of thing"). He happens to look almost exactly like the current Prez, so he does a little impersonating on the side. Two Secret Service agents see his performance at an auto sale and decide to recruit him as a Presidential double.

He agrees to do it when they tell him he'll be serving his country. During his first gig as President Bill Mitchell(walking down the stairs and past a crowd of cheering, applauding people) the real President, who is also portrayed by Kline, has a major stroke while engaging in intercourse with his secretary.

In come the bad guys. Bob Alexander (Frank Langella), the White House Chief of Staff, has been influencing the president throughout the years and enjoying a great deal of power by proxy. Now he sees his chance to gain full power. All he has to do is pretend the comatose president is actually ok. How? The answer has four letters and starts with "D".

Then, he figures, he'll get Dave to renounce the current VP and name him as the new one. The "president" will have a second, much more serious stroke, leaving Bob with full presidential powers.

Alan Reed (Kevin Dunn), Bob's softer-hearted sidekick, helps him convince Dave to pretend to be the President indefinitely. So far so good. Unfortunately for them, Dave, who is not a politician and therefore has a strong sense of right and wrong, doesn't turn out to be quite the pawn Bob intended him to be. Energetic, simple, and fun-loving, he starts winning over the nation, along with all of the people who work with him.

But the real trouble starts when, without Dave's knowledge, Bob vetoes a bill which gave funding to several homeless shelters, including one for children which Dave had personally visited as president.

There are several worthwhile subplots which haven't come up in this summary, including Dave's relationship to the First Lady (Sigourney Weaver), who ultimately discovers the truth about Dave and, not surprisingly, falls in love with him.

Another is Dave's relationship with his personal Secret Service Agent (played by Ving Rhames), who starts out forbidding, strong and silent, but turns out to be a little more vulnerable.

Also worth mentioning is Ben Kingsley's role as the
upright Vice President Gary Nance, a humble man who started out as a shoe salesman.

The storyline is somewhat farfetched, but made tolerable by the good acting and the details behind it.

Why I love this movie

First and foremost, this is a feel-good movie. The story makes you feel good, the ideals make you feel good, the resolution makes you feel good.

Second, it is extremely funny. From Dave's inhibition-free, enthusiastic singing in his kitchen to his self conscious behavior when the First Lady walks in and starts talking to him while he's taking a shower, it is full of hilarious moments.

Third, the acting. Almost all of the actors in this movie get lost in their characters, including all of the leads. Kevin Kline has amazing versatility which is very apparent in this movie. He pulls off his role's little boy enthusiasm for life without a hint of sarcasm, and infects you with the same spirit in the process. Sigourney Weaver does a great job of showing the different sides of Ellen Mitchell, from the powerful First Lady to the saddened wife of an unfaithful man.

I've almost forgotten the cameos! This movie is chock full of them, from Larry King to Jay Leno to an assortment of actual Senators. The T.V. clips and senator comments reinforce the believability of the political events in the movie.

It's hard to give the bad points of a movie for which you have an undying love in any kind of objective way, so I'll use some of my dad and uncle's opinions.

Things you might not like about this movie

My Dad: "Have you noticed most of the Senators are Democrats?"
My Uncle: "That's because this film is blatantly liberal."
My Dad: "%@&# liberals,"
My Uncle: "Making sure everyone has a job is not the Government's responsibility."
Me (innocent and naive): "If there aren't enough jobs, who is going to make enough jobs if the government doesn't?"
My Dad: "It doesn't matter. The government shouldn't do it. That's communism, not capitalism."

Basically, if you're a Republican, you might not agree with the political ideals put forth in this movie. Also, for all of those cynical people out there (and there are a lot of you), you might find this movie sappy. I just want you to know that you have cold, cold hearts.

One more thing-- the bad guy is a little over the top. I mean, you can feel yourself being prompted to hate him. In fact one of his lines is "What do I care about the homeless people?" Seriously, folks, that is outright manipulation. I never used to care about being manipulated to feel things in movies (hey, why not?) until I read Eric Snider's reviews. Check them out on ericdsnider.com. (You'll have to cut and paste; I never have much luck posting URLs)

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12