Dave, presidente por un día

Of all the movies about the President released in the 1990's, Dave was the first and the best. Kevin Kline plays a dual role. He plays President Bill Mitchell, and Dave Kovic, a look-alike for the chief executive. When he is asked to fill in for him as a decoy, he jumps to serve his nation. However, the real Bill Mitchell suffers a stroke and lays comatose. That's when the White House Chief of Staff, Bob (Frank Langella) and the Press Secretary, Alan (Kevin Dunn) convince Dave to stay on. According to them, the Vice President (Ben Kingsley) is mentally unbalanced. Dave, being naive, falls for it. However, they do not count on a generally nice guy wanting to really play the part of chief executive. He figures out their plan and turns the table, wanting to do real public policy that will make a true difference. Sigourney Weaver plays the estranged First Lady who must be kept in the dark, which is half the battle during this wonderful comedy. I liked this movie on so many levels. The first was that this movie was not silly slapstick humor like First Kid, nor did it resort to preachiness and making a political point in The American President. Dave also did not rely on excessive action in Air Force One. Instead, we have the basic idea that if we get good, honest people elected to office, good things will happen. Almost Capra-esquire, the film is earnest, not wanting to push one political agenda over another. What makes this message work is the restrained direction of Ivan Reitman, and the subtle, yet honest performance of Kevin Kline (one of the best actors ever). One of the most entertaining aspect of this movie is watching actual members of Congress, the Washtingon Press Corps, and popular entertainment making cameos. This is what gave the movie a sense of realism. Finally, Reitman helps the audience fall for the plot. He makes it so believable, honest and true. In the end, the audience will realize that politics will not mend our nation, but rather honest people will. In any case of all the movies about the President, this is the best one.

"Dave" is actually a remake of a movie originally filmed a few decades ago, but the knock on remakes hardly applies to this film.

A strong cast and a heart warming story provide entertainment value throughout this movie, and Kevin Kline's dual role as the corrupt President and the struggling employment agency owner is another in the long list of examples of his versatility.

"Dave" makes you wish that a dose of common sense could actually enter into the picture in our federal government, but of course that element of the film makes it the biggest fantasy effort of all time. LOL

This is one of the few movies I will watch any time it comes on, and I enjoy it just as much every time I see it.

I think the most of the comments about this movie are fair. It is naive, improbable and, at times preachy. However, I disagree with any characterization of Kevin Kline's performance as less than great, whether he is portraying President Mitchell, standing in for him officially or doing an improv'. The segment toward the end of the film, when he and Sigourney Weaver are pulled over for the turn violation, and they do their version of "Tomorrow" from "Annie" is absolutely hilarious. This is one of those films that, for some reason or another, I keep going back to watch every so often, mainly because of its entertainment and values orientation. Our President and Congressional Delegations should care more about us than themselves. I'm still waiting, but I haven't seen that happen yet, nor have I seen a movie about the President of Slovenia. When I do I'll be sure to comment on it.

"Dave" should have been a pure mess of a movie, but instead it is a highly enjoyable film which has great elements of comedy and drama. Kevin Kline stars as the title character who must impersonate the president of the United States after the real president suffers a massive heart attack which has left him in a coma. "Dave" goes for laughs, but also has a great deal of drama which keeps the audience intrigued throughout. Frank Langella does some of the best work of his career. Sigourney Weaver, Ving Rhames, Charles Grodin, and Ben Kingsley are all perfectly cast in supporting roles. The screenplay is smart and the direction never loses its focus. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

An escapist fantasy film, where a Walter Mitty style dream of suddenly being given the chance and the means to heroically make the world a better place for everyone is explored.

When an ordinary every-man look-alike to the president is asked to briefly pose as the chief executive, he reluctantly agrees to the put-on. Things get complicated because the real president suffers a debilitating stroke, and the poser is asked to maintain the deception for national security reasons by a corrupt power mongering chief-of-staff.

Kevin Kline does an excellent job as the innocent who finds he is a modern day Mr. Smith going to Washington, encountering scandals and corruption going on at these levels. The shadow-government conspiracy theory is nothing new, but this film utilizes the idea with an optimistic viewpoint, since the lead character chooses to effect positive changes, rather than exploit the situation. Corruption is seen as the exception rather than the rule, and that honest people can remove this blight from the landscape, if only they had the bravery to do so. Certainly this is a wildly idealistic premise, but it works.

Political insiders are the baddies, the rest of us are the good guys, represented by Dave (a great acting performance by Kevin Kline). Ben Kingsley is great as the sincere and benevolent vice president. Sigourney Weaver is wonderful as the ignored first lady who keys into the deception, and Frank Langella is well cast as the plotting diabolical foe of democracy, Bob Alexander. There are several standouts in the supporting cast, as well.

An entertaining "feel good" movie, certainly worth a watch.