Comedy
Dicks: The Musical
Double the Pleasure, Double the Fun: A TIFF Review of ‘Dicks: The Musical’
September 14, 2023Ben MK
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Despite being released over 60 years ago, The Parent Trap has managed to retain a place in the public consciousness. One of Disney's most beloved live-action classics, it spawned not one but three direct-to-television sequels, not to mention a remake starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis in 1998. It has been parodied on Saturday Night Live and even turned into a hit Broadway musical. And now, with Dicks: The Musical, Borat director Larry Charles is bringing one of the most hilarious and downright insane Parent Trap homages to the big screen, in the foul-mouthed and f-ed up story of twin vacuum parts salesmen who conspire to reunite their eccentric, divorced parents. Written by and starring Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp, the movie follows Trevor Brock (Jackson) and Craig Tittle (Sharp). Identical — and totally heterosexual — long-lost twin brothers who were separated at birth, yet who still both somehow ended up living in apartments next to each other and working at the same company, the pair come to the shocking realization that they're twins after an office merger — and their new boss, Gloria (Megan Thee Stallion) — pits them against one another for the coveted title of top salesman. It's a happy reunion that, needless to say, causes the brothers to break out in song. And when they figure out how much better their lives would have been had their parents, Evelyn (Megan Mullally) and Harris (Nathan Lane), never split up, they hatch a plan to cajole them into remarrying. Donning hilariously fake-looking wigs and trading places with one another, the siblings set about trying to convince their parents to fall in love with each other all over again. But will their crazy scheme succeed? Or will it spiral out of control and into a deliriously entertaining train wreck? Suffice to say, the result isn't for everyone. But if you prefer your humor extra crass and your musical numbers full of lyrics about genitalia, intercourse, and the sexuality of God, then Dicks: The Musical is for you. Not since the likes of Trey Parker and Matt Stone has there been a comedic duo as unapologetically offensive and as gut-bustingly funny as Jackson and Sharp. And while you may not see the film winning any prestigious awards anytime soon, one thing's for sure — it'll take more than a few naysayers to keep these two dicks down. |
Dicks: The Musical screens under the Midnight Madness programme at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Its runtime is 1 hr. 26 min.
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