Good Dick

For the song by rapper Plies, see Goon Affiliated.
Good Dick
Film poster
Directed byMarianna Palka
Written byMarianna Palka
Produced byCora Olson
Jennifer Dubin
Jason Ritter
StarringMarianna Palka
Jason Ritter
Tom Arnold
Mark Webber
Martin Starr
Eric Edelstein
CinematographyAndre Lascaris
Edited byChris Kroll
Distributed byGravitas Ventures
Release dates
  • January 19, 2008 (2008-01-19) (Sundance Film Festival)
  • October 10, 2008 (2008-10-10) (United States)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$39,924[1]

Good Dick is a 2008 comedy drama film written and directed by Marianna Palka. Palka also stars in the film, opposite Jason Ritter. Good Dick premiered in the Dramatic Competition of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

Plot

A video store clerk stalks, spies on and manipulates a reclusive woman, who often comes to the video store where he works to rent soft-core porn. Eventually, despite his strong optimism, her dislike of sex and resulting defensiveness drives them apart. It is revealed toward the end of the film that her dislike of both sex and relationships was fueled by sexual abuse at the hands of her father. The film ends with a confrontation with her father, and ultimately Ritter's character reuniting with her.

Release

The film competed in the Dramatic Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.[2] The film was given a limited release on October 10, 2008 by Gravitas Ventures.

Reception

Writing for The A.V. Club, Noel Murray gave one of the film's most negative reviews, calling it "indie-quirk to the motherfucking core. Not a single line or gesture has anything to do with the world in which real people live."[3] By contrast, in The New York Times, Jeannette Catsoulis said the film "surmounts its indie-movie quirkiness with exceptional acting and a sincere belief in the salvation of its wounded characters."[4] In the Los Angeles Times, Carino Chocano felt that the film "carries its messed-up, highly improbable premise so lightly and gracefully that it ultimately comes off as a sweet, plausible and curiously grounded love story -- and touchingly old-fashioned for a movie about the adventures of a serial masturbator and the homeless kid who stalks her."[5]

As of June 2020, Good Dick holds a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 42 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Marianna Palka's quirky indie debut centered on two dysfunctional loners is hit and miss, but has enough originality to see it through."[6] Good Dick has a Metacritic average of 54 based on 11 reviews, which the site describes as "mixed or average reviews".[7]

References

  1. ^ Good Dick (2008) – International Box Office Results – Box Office Mojo
  2. ^ "2008 Sundance Film Festival Announces Films in Competition" (PDF). 2007-11-28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-25. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
  3. ^ Murray, Noel (October 9, 2008). "Good Dick". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
  4. ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (October 16, 2008). "A Standoff Between Longing and Denial". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  5. ^ Chocano, Carina (2008-10-10). "Odd premise but a sweet tale". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
  6. ^ "Good Dick (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Good Dick". Metacritic. Retrieved April 10, 2018.