Perverse as it seems on description, there's something joyful, romantic and genuinely sexy about "Good Dick." By focusing on the psychological and emotional factors that inexplicably draw people together instead of on the more compulsive physical triggers, the movie delves into the labyrinthine nature of human attraction and rediscovers the human part. Palka unexpectedly electrifies a genre as tired as the sex tapes her character watches miserably every night. In the era of "Girls Gone Wild" and Internet pornography, the fact that Palka's character is addicted to watching dated dirty movies on VHS can seem somewhat affected, but her arcane tastes in pornography are romantic compared with contemporary tastes and hint at the sexual alienation that currently afflicts the culture. Sex, the movie suggests, has been thoroughly unsexed by vulgarity, anonymity and soullessness. What is needed again is mystery.
Odd premise but a sweet tale
MOVIE REVIEW
For a certain audience tired of Barbies in the role of everygirl, Palka's depressed, angry character will feel like a breath of fresh (though possibly slightly gamy) air, but it's Ritter who steals the show. There's something uncommonly soulful about his homeless video store clerk cum white knight, just as there's something wonderfully hopeful about Palka's modest movie. In an early scene, she parks her car in front of a check-cashing place next door to the video store that promises "instant approval." That she gets it might have come off as a fairy tale. But that we buy it is a testament to the authenticity of the performances.
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carina.chocano@latimes.com
"Good Dick." MPAA rating: R for sexual context and language. Running time: 1 hour and 26 minutes. In limited release.
