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Dave (film)

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Dave
Directed byIvan Reitman
Written byGary Ross
Produced byIvan Reitman,
Lauren Shuler-Donner
StarringKevin Kline,
Sigourney Weaver,
Frank Langella,
Kevin Dunn,
Ving Rhames,
and Ben Kingsley
Music byJames Newton Howard
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release dates
May 7, 1993
Running time
110 min.
LanguageEnglish

Dave is a 1993 comedy-drama movie written by Gary Ross, directed by Ivan Reitman, and starring Kevin Kline (in a dual role), Sigourney Weaver, Frank Langella, Kevin Dunn, Ving Rhames, Ben Kingsley, and Laura Linney. Ross was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay. Kline's performance was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

Plot

Template:Spoiler Kline plays Dave Kovic, who runs a temporary employment agency in Baltimore. As a sideline, he makes public and private appearances impersonating President William "Bill" Harrison Mitchell, whom he greatly resembles (and who, of course, is also played by Kline). Mitchell's devious Chief of Staff, Bob Alexander (Frank Langella), hires Kovic to make an exit at an appearance of President Mitchell, to cover up an extramarital affair that Mitchell is having.

When the real President Mitchell suffers a stroke during the affair that leaves him in a coma, Bob Alexander sees an opportunity. Along with Communications Director Alan Reed (Kevin Dunn), Alexander arranges for the President's comatose state to be kept secret. They then con Kovic into impersonating the president on an ongoing basis by telling him that the country would suffer if the truth was revealed or if Vice President Gary Nance (Ben Kingsley), who they say is mentally ill, took office. Apart from them, only his bodyguard, Duane Stevenson (Ving Rhames), knows the truth.

The real idea, of course, is that Alexander will now exercise the power of the presidency through Kovic as a patsy. But instead Kovic gradually sets his own course of action, which revives Mitchell's popularity with the public and mystifies both the Washington media (several well-known personalities make cameo appearances as themselves) and First Lady Ellen Mitchell (Sigourney Weaver), whose public support of her husband has been a cover for bitter marital strife in their private life. When he takes the extreme action of reworking (with the help of his friend Murray from Baltimore) the national budget in order to save a $650 million program for helping the homeless -- a project she supported but Alexander wanted vetoed -- she tricks him into exposing his ruse. With this development, Kovic holds a news conference announcing that he is firing Bob Alexander.

Eventually, Kovic meets Nance, who chastises "Mitchell" for isolating Nance from the cabinet by sending out of the country on a public relations junket. Kovic comes to realize that affable Nance isn't insane, but merely has different political ideas than Alexander. They end up bonding one night when Nance discusses his career from being an unhappy shoe salesman to being the Vice President. He is also exposed to Ellen, whom he has to convince to hang around in order to maintain the ruse. Despite Ellen's cynicism, she is soon charmed by Dave's sincere desire to use his position to improve the nation.

Eventually Bob Alexander tries to destroy Kovic by exposing a scandal that implicates Mitchell and Nance, and pushing his own candidature for the Presidency. Kovic thinks it's a lie, but Reed tells him is true that Mitchell did it. In a joint session of Congress, Kovic, as Mitchell, admits to his role in the scandal, but provides evidence (provided by Reed) proving that Alexander was the mastermind and that Nance was innocent. Kovic then fakes a stroke and is switched back with the still-comatose Mitchell. Mitchell is then declared incapacitated under the 25th Amendment, and eventually dies. The groundswell of affection generated by the fake President is transferred to the real President, as the public and the media mourn his death, still unaware of the presumably illegal ruse that had been conducted when Dave was acting as President. Although Bob Alexander knows this secret, there is no suggestion in the film that he ever goes public with this fraud (which he perpetrated). Nance becomes President and promises to carry out Mitchell's (actually Kovic's) promise of a full-employment program.

Five months later, Kovic is running his own campaign for city council. Ellen Mitchell, now a widow, comes into the office, asking for a job and kisses him. When the door of his office closes, Duane steps in front, now loyal to him. Template:Endspoilers

Cast

Cameos

Political Figures

Journalists

In addition, several fictional segments from shows frequented by political junkies were created specifically for it, including The McLaughlin Group (with McLaughlin, Barnes, Clift, Matthews and Kondracke), The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno, and Larry King Live where Oliver Stone is interviewed by King. Stone, in a self-parody, describes a conspiracy theory that turns out to accurately reflect the developments unfolding in the movie (see plot description above).

See also

Similar movie

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