THE DEATH OF DICK LONG (2019)
Starring Michael Abbott Jr., Virginia Newcomb, Andre Hyland
Directed by Daniel Scheinert
Written by Billy Chew
Distributed by A24. 100 minutes. Opening 9/27 at Arclight Hollywood and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema – Downtown LA.
The Death of Dick Long may have a fairly sophomoric joke right in its title. And yes, it might be set in a rural small-town Alabama community. And, well, there might be a solid amount of “butt rock” that soundtracks the entirety of the movie (yes, ’90s bands including Nickelback are prominently featured). But much like how director Daniel Scheinert used the easily laughable power of a farting corpse to win over audiences in Swiss Army Man (the film he co-directed with Daniel Kwan as part of the creative team DANIELS, but here making his solo directorial debut), it’s all there to disarm the audience into thinking that there isn’t a higher, more incredibly skilled and smarter operating power controlling the whole charade; there certainly is.
It’s not a spoiler for the audience to know that Dick Long (Daniel Scheinert), who ends band practice with redneck pals Zeke (Michael Abbott Jr.) and Earl (Andre Hyland) by sparking a joint before fatefully asking: “Y’all motherfuckers wanna get weird?,” dies; it’s right there in the title. But after a booze-fueled night in which Dick ends up mysteriously dead, his frightened friends are left to cover it up as best as their nincompoop selves can. All the while, Zeke’s family – his wife Lydia (Virginia Newcomb) and daughter (Poppy Cunningham) – and local law enforcement (Janelle Cochrane and Sarah Baker) come ever closer to putting together the strange and coincidental pieces of this deadly disappearance.
This is essentially the main gag of the film: seeing Zeke and the never-not-vaping Earl, attempt to stay one step ahead of everyone before the whole thing is exposed. But these guys are not the sharpest tools in the shed, leading to comedic moments such as asking each other how the bloody backseat of a car was cleaned out in Pulp Fiction. The mix of jokes and real tension is expertly compiled, all leading up to the climactic reveal of what happened to Dick that fateful night (without over-hyping it and certainly without spoiling it, it’s one of the most unbelievably amazing twists of any recent comedy). More surprising than this screwy reveal is the emotional impact that it brings, and this is when you realize the power of screenwriter Billy Chew’s script, which successfully weaves together a hilarious premise, sharp story, and emotional honesty to engage the audience on all levels.
The fact that all of these differing and strange elements come together is ultimately attributed to the quirky mind of Daniel Scheinert, whose brand of silly-meets-sincere joke-making has come to be known (or should definitely come to be known) as a new and deserving style in comedy. While the whole event is a sort of screwball affair, Scheinert doesn’t rely on the same shallow riff of redneck clichés, but lends his own insight as an Alabama native to celebrate Southern culture while still having fun with it (to me, Logan Lucky, did the same). Once the climactic reveal happens, it’s a hilariously side-splitting moment, but you would be pressed to not feel an equal wave of somber sympathy at the same time. The Death of Dick Long is a wealth of wit, smarts, and unexpected heart. It’s already the funniest film of this year and I can’t wait to see it again.
This review originally ran on February 6, 2019, during the Sundance Film Festival.
