Before Dicks: The Musical unfurls its fucked up version of The Parent Trap, three title cards give this raunchy song-and-dance fest some context. It was written by two gay men, who are playing straight men in the movie, and yes — the title card informs us — that's "very brave" of them.?
It was at this moment I thought I might just love this movie. At first glance Dicks: The Musical might look like a bro-down between two misogynist ladies' men who discover they are long-lost twins. But it's actually a merciless and maniacal parody of the kinds of fratty comedy that treat women as nags, T&A, or punchlines. That's not all, either. On top of mocking that arguably cringe corner of straight culture, Dicks goes hard at satirizing queer culture, looping in musical theater, f-bombs, multiple sex montages, and sewer boys.
Wait —?what's Dicks: The Musical about??
Writers/actors/homosexuals Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson have adapted their off-Broadway musical Fucking Identical Twins into a gobsmackingly gonzo movie musical. At the helm is Larry Charles, who is best known for his collaborations with Larry David (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, Bruno, The Dictator).?
Dicks: The Musical centers on two "alpha males," who sling giant penises, bang women regularly, and are top salesmen at a company that sells robot vacuum parts. But there's a hole they can never fill —?until they discover they're "fucking identical twins." (Do they look like twins? No. But if you're getting hung up on that —?Dicks isn't the movie for you.) Upon discovering their father and mother divorced and each took a kid to raise solo and separate from their twin, the brothers decide to try to trick their parents (Nathan Lane and Megan Mullally) into falling in love again. That way they'll be a "real family." There are just a few problems: their dad has just come out as gay and their mom is a deeply eccentric shut-in. Also, there are sewer boys (you'll see).?
Dicks: The Musical is brazen and totally bonkers.?
This is an unrelenting explosion of comedy. Sharp and Jackson swing big and broad, fitting both their Dumb and Dumber-style jokes and the musical theater song numbers. Jackson in particular recalls '90s-era Jim Carrey with his rubber-faced mugging and eccentric elocution. There's also gross-out gags, provocative punchlines, juvenile nudity, and Bowen Yang as a gay and glam God, who drops iconoclastic jokes that had the crowd at the TIFF World Premiere absolutely screaming with laughter.?Joining this ensemble in mocking the archetype "alpha males" is Megan Thee Stallion in a supporting role that is fierce and fiercely funny, climaxing in a rap number that's wild fun.?
To Jackson and Sharp's credit, every song in Dicks is hilarious, jam-packed with so many jokes that the movie demands repeat viewing to catch them all. But it's a stroke of brilliance to bring in Broadway stars Mullally and Lane for several songs. Throwing on a trove of fashion accessories and a lisp, Mullally makes a meal of wacky lyrics — and even turns her uncanny ability to hold a note into a punchline. Meanwhile, Lane —?who stole scenes earlier this year as a plucky papa in another A24 movie Beau is Afraid —?gives his all, committing to bit after bit —?and spit after spit!
"There are new kings in town, and they're Dicks"
A scandalous sendup of queer culture is woven throughout, in everything from parody Broadway posters (My Queer Lady! Lube!) to Yang's drama-craving God. But Lane's song number about how gay culture connects to the creepy blood-chugging, mind-reading critters he keeps caged in his apartment is a standout in this satire.?In a career of superb comedy, he's in top form here, and seemingly having a hoot!
And that's not all. Dicks also boasts jokes about a purposefully confusing setting, combining elements like vintage footage of New York City with flip phones and exterior studio sets that willfully look like Los Angeles to poke every kind of fun possible. Charles even includes takes where his cast breaks, laughing out of character at the mayhem playing out before them. And you know what? It's charming. These included slip-ups give the film an infusion of spontaneity that reflects its theater roots. And it makes it feel like we're all invited to appreciate how truly, truly nuts this movie is. As outtakes roll over the end credits, we're welcomed further into the club, cackling along with Lane as he marvels at the indignity he's committing to one mouthful of ham at a time.
I love, love, love this movie that dares to be this willfully stupid, gross, and gleefully outrageous. I laughed so hard my face still hurts. I left the theater drop-jawed that this movie got made at all. Like Bottoms and Problemista, Dicks: The Musical is a queer comedy that refuses to play it safe for mainstream audiences. For decades, straight bros cornered comedy with giddily offensive movies full of dumb jokes. But there are new kings in town, and they're Dicks.?
Dicks: The Musical was reviewed out its world premiere at 2023's Toronto International Film Festival. Dicks: The Musical opens in theaters Sept. 29.
