Details
Movie Description
A presidential look-alike finds himself in the oval office "filling in" for the president who has fallen ill. Lacking the political savvy of the real president, "Dave" proceeds to govern the country with a refreshingly straight-forward approach. Academy Award Nominations: Best (Original) Screenplay.
Synopsis
Judging by their looks, conservative United States President Bill Mitchell and liberal minded temp-agency owner Dave Kovic could be identical twins separated at birth. When two Secret Service agents, at Chief-of-Staff Bob Alexander's request, clandestinely draft Dave into servicing his country by temporarily standing-in for President Mitchell, the carefree humanitarian gladly answers his call to duty. After all, as the President's look-alike Dave has aped austere Mitchell before.
Luckily, the plan goes off without a hitch. But in an ironic twist of fate, President Mitchell is incapacitated, leaving Dave in a political hot-spot. Once Dave takes the extraordinary opportunity to implement progressive programs, reduce the national deficit and significantly effect social change, he nearly overturns Mitchell's reactionary administration, even as the very handlers begin conspiring against him.
Film Notes
Co-produced by Lights Entertainment and Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions.
Original aspect ratio of 1.85:1.
Actor Frank Langella gained 25 pounds for the role as chief of staff Bob Alexander in "Dave." Senators Paul Simon, Tom Harkin, Christopher Dodd, Alan Simpson, Howard Metzenbaum and Justice Abner J. Mikva made cameo appearances along with "The McLaughlin Group," liberal columnist Michael Kinsley, journalists Nina Totenberg, Eleanor Clift, Kathleen Sullivan, Richard Reeves, and Helen Thomas. Oliver Stone parodies himself as a conspiracy-theorist guest on the talk show "Larry King Live" and entertainers Jay Leno and Arnold Schwarzenegger play themselves.
Rated BBFC 12 by the British Board of Film Classification.
When the film was released on video in the UK the rating was changed to BBFC 15.
Industry Reviews
"...A winner....Kline is a comic marvel..."
Rolling Stone - p.55-6 - Peter Travers
"...Bright and buoyant....[Kline] brings wit and presence to his dual role..."
New York Times - p.C12 - Janet Maslin
"...Delightful, buoyant....[Ross] and director Ivan Reitman have done a masterful job, crafting a near-perfect movie by realizing its simple goals with panache, political savvy and ample warmth and humor..."
Variety - Brian Lowry
"...Kline has grown into a masterful sly comedian....He does a deadpan star turn..."
Entertainment Weekly - Owen Gleiberman (05/14/1993)
"...One of the movie's charms is the way it toys with our expectations..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (05/07/1993)
Quotations
Alan Simpson who appears in a cameo and Bill Clinton agree that the movie "kind of gives you a warm feeling." -- Jeff Giles, NEWSWEEK 5/10/1993
"I basically make grand entertainments...I hate pretentious filmmaking." Director Ivan Reitman on "Dave." -- Jeff Giles, NEWSWEEK, 5/10/1993
"In `Dave,' he would basically let me do what I wanted...Then he would ask me to do what he saw. Then he would say, `Do what you want.' In those takes after his directon, I could satisfy both of us." Sigourney Weaver talking about director Ivan Reitman. -- Randall Rothenberg, NEW YORK TIMES, 5/2/1993
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