All the President's Sophomores

Just the idea of two giggly teenage girls bringing down the Nixon administration is enough to make you smile. That they also stumbled across the Watergate break-in, ended the war in Vietnam, and negotiated peace accords between the US and the Soviet Union will really make you laugh. But you have to watch the movie Dick with All the President's Men in mind. If you haven't seen the President's Men, the jokes won't be nearly as funny.

All the President's Men tells the story of the two reporters who discovered the conspiracy behind the Watergate break-in. Don't be fooled - it's actually not the story of Richard Nixon and his minions. It's not about the conspiracy and you don't learn the details of the Watergate break-in. It's an homage to those leftist idols, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, whose fame (as they say) "launched a 1000 journalism majors."

With Dick, I don't know what was more fun: seeing boomer icons Woodward and Bernstein lampooned or seeing Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams play 15 year old girls with such silly accuracy. The bright and witty screenplay, the amazing recreation of circa 1972 Washington, D.C., and a loveable Nixon just add to the loony fun. C'mon, when have you ever seen Richard M. Nixon, disgrace of the Republican party (still!), portrayed with sympathy? Make no mistake, Nixon is presented here with all of his paranoia, evil machinations in play, and foul temper, but he's still likeable enough that cute little Arlene (Michelle Williams) develops a mega-crush for him. There's nothing as attractive as power, even when you're Dick Nixon.

One of sweetest aspects of this film is the innocence of these two girls. Even though they're in high school, they are quite wholesome. As the crass title informs, there are several adults-only jokes here. But the goofy portrayals of Woodward (Will Farrell), Bernstein, Nixon, and even Kissinger will make up for it.

This revisionist look at the political climate of the 1970's, the decade that created so many cynics, makes you wish it was all true. You wish Betsy and Arlene really had destroyed the Nixon administration with their Hello Dolly snack bars.