We could never have a president who so blatantly fools around and abuses his privileges. Well maybe we could. But we'd never have high official participate in a conspiracy to fool the public. Oh yeah, that too. How about a President so shallow he'd visit a homeless shelter one day, cut it's funding the next and expect the public to not notice? Wait, I'm starting to believe this fairy tale!
Plot holes, goofs, an extremely liberal bend and a ridiculous premise require you to shut down that part of your brain that over analyses everything and just enjoy it for what it is, a fairy tale. I can enjoy Cinderella without actually believing in fairy Godmothers and I can enjoy 'Dave' without actually believing any of it is remotely possible.
It's hard to do a movie about a president without getting political and it's not surprising when the 'good' guys are liberals and the 'bad' guys conservatives. This IS a product of Hollywood. But 'Dave' picks relatively safe topics like funding a homeless shelter and cutting spending on an advertising campaign. This allows us to have fun even if we don't agree with the politics.
Dave (Kevin Kline) is a liberal every-man who runs a small employment agency. He's known for his compassion and genuinely likes helping people. It so happens, he's also a dead ringer for President Bill Mitchell. He's even made a few bucks as an impersonator doing a few parties and store openings so he's got Mitchell's mannerisms and voice down pat.
This makes him a prime candidate for a little plot to buy the real President some 'private' time. They hire Dave to make a brief public appearance as the President while the real president is screwing around with a women who is not his wife. During this extracurricular romp, President Mitchell goes into a coma.
Now Secretary of State Bob Alexander (Frank Langella) comes up with his own plot. He convinces Dave to continue to play the role, with his direction, so that the American People don't go into a panic. His real plan is to frame Mitchell and Vice president Nance, forcing them to resign so he can become President.
Dave is so good he even fools Mitchells wife (Sigourney Weaver) and the fix is in. But when they visit a homeless shelter for a photo op, Dave's humanitarian side comes out. The next day, when Dave learns that he (actually Alexander) cut the funding for that same shelter, he decides to take a stand.
Now the good guys and bad guys have a good old fashioned game of 'can you top this?' as they try to outmaneuver and out smart each other. How long can they keep this up and still keep Dave a secret? It's worth seeing this movie just to find out.
Kline and Weaver are, as always, terrific and very believable in their respective roles. Langella in a great bad guy! One of my favorite actors, Ben Kingsley was miscast. Sorry Ben but the small role of the nearly powerless and easily duped Vice-President was beneath you. Kevin Dunn is very likable as the bad guy who has a change of heart. And some of the best moments come from the relatively small role played by Ving Rhames. When he says "I would have taken a bullet for you", you really believe him and the line itself is a pivotal moment in the story.
The ending is almost (but not quite) too good. It leaves a lot of questions and even room for a sequel, but it also brings closure and just plain makes you feel good.
This is NOT the best move ever made, but with a five star rating system (5 dots?) I refuse to take off a full star for the minor flaws in this excellent movie.
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