Good Dick (2008)
Good Dick (2008) — At various times I kind of liked and kind of hated this movie. In the end it all evened out to mild dislike. Micro-budget indies have their own set of clichés and some of them are on display here. Plus this is one of those movies that tries to pass off stalking as romantic. Some movies manage to do that. This one doesn’t so there’s this slight feeling of creepiness that always hangs around the relationship, which is dysfunctional enough as it is. Jason Ritter and Marianna Palka [who also wrote and directed the movie] both are… well, I’m not sure “likable” would be the right word… actually I know for sure it wouldn’t. “Engaging,” maybe. Tom Arnold has a small part which there’s not much to, but still you manage to forget you’re watching Tom Arnold. It’s weird sometime around Happy Endings he became a serious actor, but only in indie films. In anything with a budget he’s still the jackass everyone remembers him as. So Jason Ritter’s character (never named in the movie [neither is Palka’s character]) seems like he has an interesting backstory (briefly mentioned a while into the movie) but we don’t really get to explore it, because the movie spends time on his preoccupation with Palka’s unnamed “erotica” addict character who, while complex in her own right, doesn’t really seem the sort to warrant such fixation. The movie tried stuff though and for that I have to give it points. I liked the pacing of the film, even if what happened wasn’t particularly entertaining to me. I am actually curious to see what Palka does next as an actress, writer, or film-maker. All in all this film feels like it could have been something better.
Persistence of Vision 