Customer Reviews

Good Dick

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I had seen the title of this movie on cable a couple of times but was put off by it-- figured it was some cheap comedy. Last night during a conversation, I was flipping through the channels and paused on this film quite randomly. I watched it out of the corner of my eye for a couple of minutes while talking, got interested, then after the conversation got completely engrossed. About the title-- on the one hand it is sad that it lends itself to misunderstanding. On the other, it is THE perfect title for this film. Others have summarized the plot so I won't, but I will give my reasons why this is the perfect film. 1. It is unconventional in plot yet touches on unversal themes as if it were a high concept film. 2. The male character is one of the strongest yet most decent characters in any story I have ever encountered-- at first we think he is masochistic or a stalker, but in the end, we learn he sees deeply. 3. It has twists and surprises. 4. It is intensely psychological, and it is accurate. One law of psychology is: What goes into a human psyche must come out. When the female lead acts-out in weird, aggresive, psycho-sexual ways, that's reality. We don't know why she acts out while it is happening. 5. Subtlety. 6. A quick ending that clarifies almost everything without spelling it out. I'm not the type who cries at movies, but this one really got next to me. I highly recommend Good Dick. If you liked it, you might like a book called The Greatest White Trash Love Story Ever Told. Really reminds me of this story, but is a little more PG-13.

As a movie store owner I had to give this one a shot. I suppose I was watching more of the background and props than I was the performances during the store scenes, but at least they got the customer nuances correct (the giggling-obsessed teen girls, the widowed old guy renting on his anniversary, the strange porn addicted gal, etc.).

I do not feel the description is written well (over usage of claustrophobic - neither place is that bad) and the cover art/pics never happen in the film, but I gave it a fair shot since it is being advertised as a 2008 Sundance hit. Our story follows a homeless video store clerk as he stalks a porn-addicted agoraphobic cuckoo girl customer. SPOILERS; Tons of unbelievable events and un-described character issues fill the screen for 90 minutes, punctuated by two cameos (Tom Arnold as the offender dad [3rd perv role for him in as many films - scary]and Charles Durning as the old guy customer). His co-worker crew all have their little idiosyncratic nuances for the slight comic relief, with the story shifting between them and the love interest premise of a who-can-creep-out-the-potential-girlfriend/boyfriend-more-but-still-sleep-together motif.

The film quality is average as is the 5.1 (with a 2.0 option). The main supplement about being played at Sundance lasts over an hour, but since they went the un-narrated way/made at home feel I liked it. The gag reel option lasts 11 minutes and was actually funny only once or twice, should have been called a bad take reel.

A decent freshman attempt at making a totally obscure relationship film about creepy people, gave three for the film and one for the supplements. Just not sure if I can outright recommend this without adding some disclaimers; "innocent" on the cover art is furthest from the truth, "funny" is subjective on this, and the title is going for the shock value as it is never stated in the film. Enjoy.

How could a film be a tragic romantic comedy . . . well, take two quirky but lovable young adults, both of whom have been roughed up rather badly in the first few years of their life, have them fall in love and then watch the fireworks until the happy ending I guess.

There are some very funny scenes but I think the tragedy is a more predominant theme as the male lead has been through heavy drug abuse (recovering) and evidently prostituted himself while living on the beaches of L.A. while the female lead's father sexually exploited here.

Jason Ritter, playing the determined suitor of Marianna Palka, draws her out of her depression and through their interaction she is able to face life again (she seldom leaves her apartment).

The action is set around a video store where Ritter and three other guys work, the three other guys Ritter's best friends.

The intriguing aspect of this film is in the depth and complexity of the two main character portrayals through the excellent acting. I mean really . . . this theme has been done before so it is all in the substance of the characters.

By the end of the film I was rooting for both of them . . . I really know a film is good when my eyes tear up at the end.

I like all sorts of films for all sorts of reasons. This is one that I liked because it was just so odd. The main characters are unique, and though the secondary characters aren't quite as well drawn they still provide a lot of good moments. "Man" is played by Jason Ritter. He works at a video store and sleeps in his car. It also appears he has had an addiction problem in his past. He somehow takes a liking to one of the store's female customers (played by the writer/director Marianna Palka) who only rents soft core porn for purposes of masturbation. He keeps coming on to her at her apartment and manages to make it to the point where he is staying there.

He seems to be a genuinely sweet soul who keeps trying to draw her out. He cleans up her place, cooks for her and tries to introduce her to new things. Somehow she seems to enjoy the fact that there is another human being near her, but that's as far as it goes. He cannot get closer to her than her letting him wash her hair. No kissy, no touchie. She constantly yells at him and insults him. He hangs in there though and we're not certain why. What does he see in her? Does he see himself as being able to save her? Can she be saved and is she even worth saving?

What makes this work are the two leads and the odd story and dialogue they get to chew on. I kept wondering what happened to this girl in her past that she ended up like this. How is it she lives in this nice and nicely appointed apartment without having a job? It kept me going to the end which I found quite satisfying. There are some scenes that are very funny. Others are touching, while one scene with Tom Arnold is more than a bit scary.

If you like the odd indie films this is one for the books.

The movie was ok. A lot of people said that main actor was kinda creepy while others said he was just really deep feeling. To me it was a little of both. I personally would think that the guy was stalking me. I don't know what kind of woman would just let someone into their home that quickly to sleep over. Although, I'm sure there are women out there like that who would let a guy in their home after knowing him for only hours. I admittedly get emotional during movies, especially during really touching scenes. This movie was not that kind of movie for me. I didn't laugh uncontrollably, I didn't get emotional, and I wasn't on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. It was just a middle of the road kind of movie for me. It was ok to watch, but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it again.

Good Dick has a very off-putting title but at the heart of this dark comedy, lies a beautiful and complexed story. Jason Ritter is absolute perfection in this film! He holds this film together. I loved all the different layers of his character and the troubled woman he falls in love with. The two characters are given no name which I didn't even noticed until the credits rolled at the end! The 'man' tries to help the 'woman' out of her isolated existence, come to terms with her horrible past, and learn to love again. Good Dick is a strange but intriguing love story, definitely worth buying! Enjoy.

but decided to watch it due to Jason Ritter; the title and the promo line are very misleading, I mean the whole premise of the movie has nothing to do with the words on the cover and thus I almost did not give this movie a chance.

3 stars for the story and 5 stars for broaching such as senstive topic so profoundly, about 4 stars for the acting and probably the director gets 4 stars. great movie overall BUT THE ONLY REASON I GIVE IT 4 STARS IS BECAUSE IT'S SOLID 4 SINCE THE TALENT lies in that this woman wrote this script, directed it and acted in, AND acted OPPOSITE her real-life significant other!!! Talk about talent under pressure!

AND I was amazed that this was so well-written, directed, and then also acted (the acting was not as good as the story and the directing). BUT THIS IS ABOUT SEXUAL MOLESTATION SO THIS VERY sensitive subject had to be done as black comedy in order for you not to make too much light out of it.

This is what I WOULD only rate 5 stars being that it took a lot of effort to get this romantic drama together and about such a sensitive subject that often isn't taken seriously enough in some movies.

The movie does not explain a lot, but sort of allows the viewer to draw the obvious conclusion but this [nameless] young lady who is sexually repressed in her "real" life is a porn addict (of sorts) and her background is that she was most obviously sexually abused by her wealthy and controlling father who pays all her bills and bought her her luxury apartment and her brand-new hybrid. She suffers from several obvious mental disorders without it being said such OCD, and being Agoraphobic, but she most of all is scared of being in a relationship with someone she truly cares about based on some past pain from someone (at the very end, we learn that it's her father who, most likely, molested her).

So this [nameless]porn-shop clerk falls for her but he does not initially even let her know in any upfront way and then the story gets weird, cuz he lives out of his car (we learn later his apartment building was demolished and that he is a former drug addict).

THE REST IS...WELL, you have to watch without any expectations of it being like any romantic comedy you have ever watched because it is simply not.

IT IS very interesting and very, very unusual in how it's filmed and I just knew that this young woman had to be Jason Ritter's off-screen love interest because the chemistry was incredible. (And she is and has been for many years.)

This is a strange little film that I do not think has been given as much credit as it deserves. Anyone who can sit still for an hour and a half is sure to find this film worth seeing. The under used Jason Ritter and Marianna Palka are so interesting to watch here and although not really a comedy, it will make you laugh a lot of the time.

This story about a guy who begins to fall in love with a very withdrawn girl with severe trust issues is not your average love story, but it has a refreshing quality and the two stars are completely engaging. If you like romance films with a little more creativity, then this is certainly worth your time.

Don't let the title mislead you: Good Dick is not a porno movie. It's a terse, offbeat artistic statement involving two people in an odd dysfunctional relationship. The film tells a simple short story, which is sweet and redeeming. It's similar to many French films in its simplicity and dialogue. Don't miss the personality clues. To say more would be a spoiler. Not a blockbuster, appeal-to-the-American-masses kind of movie. i simply loved it.

Slow start, but worth the wait... Everyone has problems. It takes love to see the real inner beauty in someone.