Full disclaimer: there is nothing that can prepare you for Dicks: The Musical. Even if I were to explain the story in vivid detail, you still wouldn’t quite be ready for the experience that awaits you. In fact, you probably wouldn’t believe that such a film could exist in the first place. Nathan Lane spitting ham into the mouths of reptilian sewer mutants? Megan Mullally carrying her disembodied vagina around in a purse? Bowen Yang as God? Surely, I’m just making things up. Well, I’m not. This is but a fraction of the bonkers-bananas energy bursting out of every frame in Dicks, a singular comic oddity that could have only been released by a company so broad in its brand that just about anything can fit under it.
Dicks is, in fact, A24’s first movie musical, but simply labeling it with that supposed achievement would be underselling its absurdity. Dicks began as F**king Identical Twins, the demented brainchild of Upright Citizens Brigade members Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson. The two-man show featured Sharp and Jackson as business rivals who learn they are actually identical twins separated at birth. Their campy riff on The Parent Trap became a staple in New York’s alt-comedy scene and, frankly, could have simply remained that way. To see a full-blown queer farce, previously performed in the basement of a grocery store, explode into mainstream film culture, let alone under the industry’s most lauded indie banner, is, without a hint of exaggeration, a godsend in the year of our lord 2023.
Its presence alone is enough to gawk at, and then Dicks actually begins. Courtesy of our narrator, God (aforementioned SNL highlight Bowen Yang), Dicks’ introduction immediately sets the stage for what kind of film you’re in for. In actuality, Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson look as much alike as, well, Dicks: The Musical and The Parent Trap, to which God responds with, “f**k you.” There’s suspension of disbelief and then there’s Dicks. If you’re not here to have fun, you might as well walk out (which some, during its premiere screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival, surely did). Sucks for them, as this hyper-self-awareness contributes to the film’s hilarity, which is so miraculously committed to its own stupidity that it fully wraps around into full-blown sincerity.
Might I remind you that this is, at its core, a story about family. Once the twins discover their connection, they become determined to reunite their parents so that they can be remarried. The only problem is that one (Mullally) is a highly repressed cat lady bound to a mobility scooter, while the other (Lane) is a freshly out-of-the-closet homosexual caring for his Sewer Boys (ridiculously terrifying but also surprisingly impressive puppets). Still, the two arrange for them to meet, but speaking of the plot any further would be to ruin what is a total riot of utter crassness. Just know that Mullally and Lane fully deliver as gut-bustingly hilarious supporting players, more committed to the bit than ever before.
They would fully steal the show from Sharp and Jackson if it weren’t for their equally note-perfect portrayals as well. Two gay men ruthlessly playing straight, their obnoxiously hypermasculine caricatures are both a send-up of corporate buffoonery and a platform to showcase their incredible timing as a duo. Jackson’s face, in particular, is so stretchy it could rival Jim Carrey’s heyday. However, the duo’s contributions go beyond their performances. The two also wrote the film’s music (Karl Saint Lucy contributes to new songs) and that reveals Dicks’ secret weapon: that it is a genuinely excellent musical.
In an era where even Disney musicals make their songs feel perfunctory, Dicks has musical theater storytelling built into its DNA. Songs convey character and motivation with clever lyrics and fun arrangements, topped off with incredibly impressive vocal performances. We knew Mullally and Lane could bring it (and they’re better than ever), but Sharp and Jackson both know how to land a quality riff. The level of musicianship is a welcome surprise in a genre that often puts the comedy before the musical despite being named the other way around. On a similar note, the film’s sets give plenty of room for excellent choreography, something that, in any other movie musical, would’ve felt low budget. However, this clearly staged element feels more like an homage to the story’s performative origins. It’s as though the spirit of the original show is still here.
You can praise Dicks: The Musical all day long, but that doesn’t change the fact that this film is meant for a very specific audience. You’re either going to adore the film or abhor it and there’s little in-between. For those who can already tell this film ain’t for them, best of luck to ya. For those who will embrace this miraculously outrageous musical sex-comedy, know that you will feel well-fed to the point of bursting. Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp have not only cemented themselves as creative talents to watch out for, but if Dicks were to be their only contribution, they have already enshrined themselves in the canon of movie musicals, whether people like it or not.
Dicks: The Musical hits select theaters this Friday, October 6, with a worldwide release on Friday, October 23, courtesy of A24.
Hilariously crass and filled with fantastic musical numbers, Dicks: The Musical sets out to be an outrageous good time and succeeds on all fronts.
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GVN Rating 10
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Larry Fried is a filmmaker, writer, and podcaster based in New Jersey. He is the host and creator of the podcast “My Favorite Movie is…,” a podcast dedicated to helping filmmakers make somebody’s next favorite movie. He is also the Visual Content Manager for Special Olympics New Jersey, an organization dedicated to competition and training opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities across the Garden State.