In light of the tumultuous political events of recent days, it seems an appropriate time to take a look back at a film that deals with the national political scene in a more lighthearted and certainly more entertaining way than the networks’ coverage of the still-unresolved Presidential election.
The movie is 1993’s Dave, in which Kevin Kline plays average American Dave Kovic, who runs a temp agency but is soon to have an unexpected, drastic change in careers. The most notable thing about Dave is that he bears a striking resemblance to United States President Bill Mitchell, and Dave uses this similarity to make a few dollars on the side doing promotions for the local car dealership.
When President Mitchell has a stroke while engaging in Clintonian extra-curricular activities, two of the president’s top advisors, Allen Reed (Kevin Dunn) and Bob Alexander (Frank Langella), try to cover the incident by finding a temporary stand-in for the president. Dave is found and successfully portrays the president in his first public appearance. Alexander eventually thinks that Dave might work as a more permanent replacement for Mitchell, because he could be a puppet for employing Alexander’s own political agenda.
Langella does a marvelous job at playing the manipulative and conniving Alexander, and his sinister facial expressions convey his shady motives nicely. Dunn is also convincing as Press Secretary Reed, who at first seems little more than Alexander’s whipping boy, but eventually develops into a strong proponent of doing what is right and fixing the mistakes that he has made.
Another strong performance is turned in by Ving Rhames as Secret Service Agent Duane Stevenson, whose stoic demeanor is a good foil for Dave’s wackiness. The development throughout the film of a close bond between Dave and Stevenson is a nice touch and reaches its high point when Stevenson admits that he would indeed take a bullet for Dave, despite the fact that he is not the real president.
Sigourney Weaver does a great job portraying the tough-as-nails First Lady, who has been so separated from her husband that at first, even she does not notice that Dave has taken his place.
The best performance of all is turned in by Kline himself, who is able to play both the serious President Mitchell and the idealistic Dave with superb comic flair. Kline is a gifted comic actor (as previously seen in his Oscar-winning role in A Fish Called Wanda), and his immense talent does not go to waste in this movie. Watching Dave settle into his new role as president, from memorizing the names of his cabinet members to eventually balancing the national budget, provides some of the most entertaining moments in any modern comedy. As Dave becomes more accustomed to being president and grows in national popularity, Alexander wants to remove him from office by mentioning a scandal in which the real President Mitchell was guilty. The way Dave solves this controversy is creative and provides for some unpredictable drama at the movie’s conclusion.
The screenplay by Gary Ross is first rate, providing a good blend of Washington in-jokes and other political humor, as well as some touching moments that the develop personal relationships among characters. In addition, frequent cameos by real-life politicians and newsmakers give the movie a more realistic feel.
While the principal concept of the film may be hard to believe, great performances and many laughs make this movie one to watch. As the real-life drama of the presidential election continues into its second week, take a couple hours to relax and enjoy a cheerful, humorous look at the political scene, which is exactly what Dave gives us. A-