Dave (movie)
|
|
Dave is a 1993 comedy movie written by Gary Ross, directed by Ivan Reitman, and starring Kevin Kline. Ross was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay. Kline's performance was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Kline plays Dave Kovic, who runs a temporary employment agency in Washington, D.C. As a sideline, he makes public and private appearances impersonating President William Harrison "Bill" Mitchell, whom he greatly resembles (and who, of course, is also played by Kline).
When the real President Mitchell suffers a stroke that leaves him in a coma, his scheming Chief of Staff Bob Alexander (Frank Langella) sees an opportunity. Along with Communications Director Alan Reed (Kevin Dunn), Alexander arranges for the stroke to be kept secret. They then con Kovic into impersonating the president on an ongoing basis by telling him that the country would suffer if the truth was revealed or if Vice President Gary Nance (Ben Kingsley), who they say is insane, took office.
The real idea, of course, is that Alexander will now exercise the power of the presidency through Kovic as a patsy. But instead Kovic spurns Alexander's control and sets his own course of action, which revives Mitchell's popularity with the public, and mystifies both the Washington media and First Lady Ellen Mitchell (Sigourney Weaver). Kovic also comes to realize that Nance isn't insane, but merely has different political ideas than Alexander.
Eventually a scandal becomes public that implicates both Mitchell and Alexander; Kovic decides to fake a stroke and is switched back with the still-comatose Mitchell. Mitchell is then declared incompetent under the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and Nance takes office.
In the movie's final scene, Kovic is running his own campaign for city council; Ellen Mitchell comes into the office and kisses him.
Many political and entertainment personalities have cameos in the film as themselves, notably Oliver Stone, who expresses a conspiracy theory that is in fact correct.
The story draws from such tales as Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper, Anthony Hope's The Prisoner of Zenda, and Robert A. Heinlein's Double Star.