Movies - Dave

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Dave is a 1993 comedy 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

Kline plays Dave Kovic, who runs a temporary employment agency in Washington, D.C. As a sideline, he makes public and private appearances impersonating President William Harrison "Bill" Mitchell, whom he greatly resembles (and who, of course, is also played by Kline). Mitchell's 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.

The real idea, of course, is that Alexander will now exercise the power of the presidency through Kovic as a patsy. But instead Kovic spurns Alexander's control and sets his own course of action, which revives Mitchell's popularity with the public and mystifies both the Washington media (several well-known personalities appear briefly as themselves) and First Lady Ellen Mitchell (Sigourney Weaver). Kovic comes to realize that Nance isn't insane, but merely has different political ideas than Alexander. He is also exposed to Ellen, whom he has to convince to hang around in order to maintain the ruse.

Eventually Bob Alexander tries to destroy Kovic by exposing a scandal that implicates Mitchell and Nance. In a joint session of Congress, Kovic, as Mitchell, admits to his role in the scandal, but provides evidence proving that Alexander was the mastermind and Nance innocent. Kovic then fakes a stroke and is switched back with the still-comatose Mitchell. Mitchell is then declared incompetent under the 25th Amendment and eventually dies. Nance becomes president and promises to carry out Mitchell's (actually Kovic's) promise of a full-employment program.

In the movie's final scene, Kovic is running his own campaign for city council; Ellen Mitchell comes into the office and kisses him.

Background

The film bears significant resemblance, in both its plot and characters, to a little-known Hollywood musical, The Phantom President (1932), which starred the Broadway song-and-dance-man George M. Cohan in the dual role of the cold, corrupt politician and his charming, idealistic double. Claudette Colbert played his politically savvy bride-to-be, and Jimmy Durante was his razzle-dazzle campaign manager. The film included songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. The Paramount film was directed by Norman Taurog.

Such doppelgänger plots have a long literary and dramatic lineage in such works as Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper, Anthony Hope's The Prisoner of Zenda
, Robert A. Heinlein's Double Star, Moon Over Parador
starring Richard Dreyfuss, The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas and Colin Forbes's The Leader and the Damned.

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Movies - Dave

Plot

Background

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