Review: ‘Good Dick’

We All Need GOOD DICK

In a world oversaturated with formulaic $15 million dollar “independent† films, Good Dick is exactly what the doctor prescribed. Made for about $200,000, Marianna Palka’s first directorial effort is a beautiful, hilarious and fascinating look at an antisocial damsel in distress and the timid but persistent Knight who tries to rescue her. But as the stars said at the Q and A following the film, the irony is that the damsel is also the dragon.

The opening credits start as we watch our alienated heroine (Palka) make her way to Cinefile Video. After renting 3 softcore, porn titles and an awkward conversation with the video store clerk, she heads home in retreat. The clerk, played perfectly by Jason Ritter, copies down her address and drives to her home in his. He has had some troubles in the past and is now living out of his car, which becomes a base camp outside her apartment building. He eventually works his way into her home and begins disrupting her life.

This sounds like a great but possibly simple plot for a generic psychological thriller. The kind where the girl kills the stalker at the end and gets the courage to realign herself with society. Instead the film takes a completely different direction as a semi-romantic dramedy. In other hands, this film could have been a mess but, luckily for the audience, Palka proves to be a very talented writer and director, in addition to being a great actress. Jason Ritter also truly shines in his role, which could have gone either way. His character essentially stalks the lead and then lies several times to get into her apartment. However, he never seems like a creepy stalker but instead like a genuinely lonely person who wants to help someone he cares for.

You can tell Marianna Palka put her heart into this script and into the whole film in general. The overall message of changing your life, little by little, comes through clearly and fits the film perfectly. There are some very emotional scenes but she mostly keeps the tone lighthearted. There is some hilarious dialogue, especially the conversations amongst the video store clerks, but some of the funniest moments come from characters expressions and body language. In the trailer there is a short clip of Jason Ritter in an elevator after a failed conversation where he leaves his arm raised in the air. For me, it goes from a simple gesture into an invitation to “look at me, I’m an idiot.† There are many moments in the film where seemingly simple gestures like that thoroughly enhance the scene. The film also focuses on the little details; so many that it may warrant a second viewing just to catch them all. One of my favorites is that the characters use plastic baggies as mitts when placing the porn tapes into the DVD player.

In true indie fashion, the film was a labor of love for everyone involved. Everyone worked for free in locations they had or knew they could use. There were no auditions for the film. Marianna wrote most of the parts for specific actors she was friends with and found additional actors through those friends. The crew also consisted of unpaid friends who just loved the script and wanted to be a part of the film. If that doesn’t sound indie enough to you, in order to film in the video store, they had to shoot almost all the scenes at night after it closed. To top it all off, the film is being self-distributed. The decision to self distribute was made at Sundance when the filmmakers and producers saw that the market has changed with less distributors showing up and fewer purchases being made. With positive feedback and a lot of support, they felt self-distribution was the best way to get the film seen. It’s a brave move but I’m sure this film will do well, especially as word gets out. Besides, a distributor would probably try to change the title anyway.

And if you are curious about the title, you are not the only one. Soon on their official website, they will be posting a section where you can upload what the title means to you. You can make a video, write a message or send in any work of art inspired by the film’s title and what you think it means. Everyone seemed to have a different opinion, ranging from the crude to the surprising. Marianna joked that her grandmother thinks the movie is about a really good detective.

To find out more about the submission or to learn more about the film and see where it’s playing, check out  www.gooddickthefilm.com. It is unfortunately not having a wide release, but the plus side is that the filmmakers are attending many of the screenings. You can also pre-order the DVD but a date has not been announced yet. I absolutely loved this movie and I hope many of you will to. Now go out there and enjoy some Good Dick.

And as a bonus for the filmmakers†¦Good Dick Stands Tall. Feel free to use that quote in any of the marketing.

[rating 4.5/5]

  Jerry Cavallaro – www.AreYouStuckLikeChuck.com