
‘Dicks: The Musical’ is the first of its kind to set the stage for I’m sure A24’s other musicals to follow. As much as I find it difficult to even start, I feel like ‘Dicks’ is probably a good choice. It attempts to blend different genres together in a sickeningly entertaining manner that yet, still seems so dissociated and rebellious in nature that it is off putting. The movie is half of what I believe it aims to be, and there is much left untouched. The bravado and absurdity is enough for me to understand that there was a greater vision for this cult classic like film. But like with any form of comedy, there will always be an audience too loyal to the film, and those who can’t bear the absurdities of it. So many people are bound to love ‘Dicks.’ But from my position, I am irritated that there were so many loose ends left untouched. But there is an off chance of me appreciating the wild and fearless plot direction the writers chose.
In terms of the characters, Dicks stars Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp portraying Trevor and Craig. To work in conjunction with the title ‘Dicks’ I believe there is value in bringing the character’s backgrounds in the public spotlight. They come from a privilege background and carry with them a sense of superiority over everyone else.
While outwardly showing how perfect and fulfilling their lives are, somewhere deep down they feel hollow as they look for a family that never was. They are (not really, but let’s pretend) identical twins that were separated at birth. Now they work together at a shop selling spare parts (never the entire machine) and find out that they are long lost siblings. The brothers come up with a masterful plan to bring together their parents that are brilliantly played by Nathan Lane and Megan Mullaly. One of the characters in the movie single-handedly portrays the entire world of Middle America. Mullaly’s misfit Evelyn talks to all of her knickknacks claiming that her private parts came to life and fell off. In addition to this Lane’s Harris awkwardly admits that he now loves being a puppet to a bizarre pair called the Sewer Boys. Formerly he found the puppets in the underground and has now come to cherish, feed, and let out his fears on them. Recapping the plot of this movie is perhaps one of the hardest things to do. Don’t take my word for it, but Bowen Yang takes on the role of a God which should speak volumes.
“Dicks: The Musical” is a spin off of “The Parent Trap” and it is far from child friendly. Sharp and Jackson did a phenomenal job at portraying every indecent part of the movie. Performance wise, they are astonishingly hilarious. From effortlessly mocking the obnoxious alpha male personas of Trevor and Craig, to comical ‘governments styled’ undercover ways of reuniting their alienated parents, sharp and Jackson gave performances that were nothing short of spectacular. As a viewer, it’s unsettling yet fascinating to witness the extreme lengths these performers would go to just to make a point. Unlike most films, Dicks: The Musical did fulfill expectations but I found myself wishing it did not repeat key scenes. For example, it focused on a couple humorous parts, like Mullaly’s joke. As a result, there were some extremely funny sections that had been repeated. It offers so much humor which makes a person wonder why those ‘other’ places were neglected.
You read that correctly, music can be quite helpful. The only exception to this is the Megan Thee Stallion clip, as it seems to be produced more than the remainder of the movie. I guess it also didn’t hurt to have Marius de Vries as the music producer with such projects as “La La Land,” “Romeo + Juliet,” and “Moulin Rouge!” highlighted in his repertoire. The humorous and satirical musical numbers are well done. Jackson and Sharp dominate the performance when they try to out sing the preposterous lyrics into each other’s faces and Lane & Mullaly are cracking up.
Well, most of the audience will. Certainly, Trevor and Craig both discover that being the so-called alpha males has its downsides, like proposing to reunite their parents won’t address all of their issues. An everything goes approach “Dicks: The Musical” most certainly delivers on that, advising all to love each other and setting aside social decorum, law, and anything else that hinders self happiness. In a time when society is strongly cynical, a movie that accepts progressing as you wish to let out all feelings aids in getting rid of it all, be an old kook, a closeted father, or a sewer boy, anything is better than being a dick.
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