Romancefest 2015: Dave

Here's another one I can file under "I kinda/sorta saw this one time, maybe." 1993's DAVE is a warm, light hearted, political comedy from mastermind Ivan Reitman, starring the always likable Kevin Kline as both the dickhead president of the US and an affable, small town owner of a temp agency who happens to look just like him.

Enlisted by the feds to double for the president during his dalliances, Kline is pressed into service as the real thing when the prez strokes out mid-affair. The president's closest advisors (Kevin Dunn and Frank Langella) hatch a plot to let Kline double just long enough to disgrace the vice president (Ben Kingsley) and nominate Langella as his replacement, so they can then reveal the death and Langella can rule as Master of the Universe! Or, the free world.

Kline has a little crush on the first lady because she is played by Sigourney Weaver. Who wouldn't. But, the first lady and the president are on the outs.

The beauty of the movie comes in the way the imposter slowly starts to take over as a real president, and injects his own simple, straight forward values into running the country in a way I think probably everyone has wanted to at one time or another specifically in a scene where he cuts the budget (with the help of Charles Grodin!) to keep a program that helps underprivileged kids. This is the kind of stuff classic Hollywood was made for, and Frank Capra would be proud. Is it a simplistic fantasy? Maybe. But damn it feels good.

One thing that helps legitimize the warm fuzzies is the way the screenplay earns them. Even though this is a case of mistaken identity, no one is written to be stupid just for the plot's sake. You might think, wouldn't the first lady be able to tell her own husband from a complete stranger? And the answer is not a contrivance. The answer is yes, she can. And she likes him better. Again, who wouldn't?

Reitman directs with a sure hand and has a great cast to work with, including a pre-PULP FICTION Ving Rhames who steals a couple scenes as a Secret Service man. I already mentioned Frank Langella but it's worth mentioning again – what a great villain, embodying everyone's worst political nightmare, the slimy double dealer who only cares about power. Also, just when you've forgotten he's in the movie, Ben Kingsley shows up to class up the joint and stands as a symbol of hope and goodness, better even than Dave (Kline) himself.