Product Description

Just who runs this country anyway? For comedy fans, the answer is - Dave. Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda, In & Out) and Sigourney Weaver (Working Girl, Ghostbusters) star in this box-office winner about an uncanny Presidential lookalike named Dave, who's recruited by the Secret Service to become a momentary stand-in for the President of the United States. However, things don't turn out exactly as planned and Dave finds himself continuing his masquerade as Chief Executive indefinitely. Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters and 6 Days, 7 Nights) directs and supporting players Frank Langella, Ving Rhames, Ben Kingsley and Charles Grodin supply more reasons to stand up and cheer. Many real-life Washington politicos and pundits join the fun as Dave uses ordinary-guy savvy to deal with the extraordinary responsibilities of the Oval Office.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1976 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 1998-04-29
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 110 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
A heartwarming story of mistaken identity and idealism, director Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters) takes on the political establishment in this fresh, funny comedy. Kevin Kline (Sophie's Choice, A Fish Called Wanda) plays Dave Kovic, a sweet man with a big heart running an employment agency. Dave happens to be a dead ringer for the current president of the United States, and he hires himself out as an impersonator for parties and mall openings. When the real president has a stroke while in bed with an aide, his ambitious chief of staff (Frank Langella) decides to hold onto the White House by appealing to Dave's sense of patriotism and having him pose as the president. Soon, however, Dave is running the country in a way contrary to what the chief of staff would like, even as he finds himself falling in love with the unsuspecting first lady (Sigourney Weaver). The movie's unbridled optimism is its best asset, and it makes this a pleasant comedy worth seeing. --Robert Lane

From The New Yorker
Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline), the hero of Ivan Reitman's populist comedy, is a regular middle-class guy who happens to be a dead ringer for the President of the United States (also Kline). The screenplay, by Gary Ross, contrives to put Dave in the Oval Office, where he poses as the President and allows himself (initially) to be manipulated by the crafty White House chief of staff (Frank Langella). By the end of the picture, he has restored honesty and decency to the government, and has fallen in love with the First Lady (Sigourney Weaver). In the first half hour or so, the movie is hilarious, because its humor is mostly destructive; and Kline's performance as the real President is a chillingly funny portrait of Chief Executive as empty suit. But after the promisingly nasty beginning, the filmmakers settle into a sort of campaign mode, lulling and flattering the audience with a fairy-tale vision of the common man's victory over the Washington establishment. The movie's crowd-pleASINg agenda inexorably saps its energy. Reitman and Ross are willing to sacrifice bite for across-the-board appeal, and they wind up with a political comedy that has no politics. Also with Charles Grodin, Ben Kingsley, and Kevin Dunn. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Fun Presidental Movie
This movie is very fun, and Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver are excellent in it.

Kevin Kline plays two parts in the movie, Dave and President Bill Mitchell. Dave operates a temp agency and also makes a few extra bucks playing President Bill Mitchell.

The night Mitchell is to give an important speech Dave is used as a decoy so that the real President can make it to the speech without the press hounding him. After the speech though the President meets up with one of his aids and while having sex has a massive stroke.

The Presidents advisers do not want the American people to know because they don't like Vice President Nance. They convince Dave to pretend to be Dave for a few months, which at first he does not want to do. They convince him though and for a while it works.

One wrench in the plan is Bill Mitchell's wife Ellen. At first she does not suspect anything is amiss, but soon figures out that Dave is not her husband. The reason for this is that Bill and Ellen do not have a great relationship (because she knows about his cheating), but Dave looks at her leg one day in the limo.

During Dave's time as President he learns a few things about life and politics and with the help of Ellen works out a plan to get out of the Oval office.

What Happens next? Watch Dave!

It`s Fun!
I loved this movie! It was fun, funny and had a happy ending, i.e., the good guys and gals win. Maybe that formula isn`t sophisticated but that`s okay because there just aren`t enough movies that are just fun AND funny. No profanity, no action, no blood and guts....those have their time and place (I loved Kill Bill) but I would like to see more movies like `Dave.`
Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver have great on screen chemistry as well. Whenever I get down about the current political situation I watch `Dave` and hope that maybe someday we will have a leader who can inspire and be inspiring.

Great movie!
This is one of my all time favorite movies and I am so happy to have it on DVD. Now I can watch it whenever I want to.