Rating: PG13
Genre:
Comedy
Theatrical Release: 08/04/1999(USA)
Release Date: 12/14/1999
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English
Run Time: 94 Minutes
Flags: Questionable for Children, Adult Language, Adult Humor, Sexual Situations, Drug Content, Youth Substance Use, Suitable for Teens
Distributor/Studio: Columbia TriStar
The mystery of the 18-minute-gap in
Richard Nixon's White House tapes -- and how it connects to the previously undocumented involvement of two teenage girls in the Watergate scandal -- is the subject of this political comedy. Betsy Jobs (
Kirsten Dunst) and Arlene Lorenzo (
Michelle Williams) are high school students and best friends living in Washington D.C. in 1972. Betsy is pretty and popular, while Arlene is cute but a bit awkward. Arlene is obsessed with singing star
Bobby Sherman, but that comes to a halt when she and Betsy get lost during a school field trip to the White House. A chance encounter with Checkers the dog leads to the girls meeting President
Richard M. Nixon himself (
Dan Hedaya). In
Nixon, Arlene sees a strong, caring man who loves his dog, and she soon develops a furious crush on the president; Betsy is puzzled but remains supportive. Arlene's devotion to the president is rewarded when she and Betsy are named official White House dog walkers; however, when Arlene and Betsy discover that
Nixon has a foul mouth and a short temper and, worst of all, kicks his dog, they realize that the President is not all he appears to be. And when they overhear
Nixon ranting about
Bob Woodward (
Will Ferrell) and
Carl Bernstein (
Bruce McCulloch), a pair of reporters from
The Washington Post looking for dirt on the President, Arlene and Betsy decide that they're happy to help.
Dick also features
Dave Foley as
Bob Haldeman,
Harry Shearer as
G. Gordon Liddy, and
Ana Gasteyer as
Rosemary Woods.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
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