Good Dick (2008)

just watch it!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Blistering performances.

Or is this a redemption movie? "Omnia vincit amor" (Vergil) - True love can overcome anything. It's a tour de force for Marianna Palka, as writer, director and main actor. If it helps her develop a successful career in movie-making (which I hope it does), she may still look back on this as some of her best work.Looks a bit like a clinical report on the agonising problem of familial sexual abuse, taken to extremes in a particular direction - but she does (eventually) make the psychology and personality of the female character convincing, and even compelling. Unfortunately not so much so for the male character. In pursuit of his one true soul-mate, how much trouble will a human male go to? - not much, so the biologists tell us.If you want to do battle with other people's psychiatric problems, son, enrol at med school. Otherwise, at very least, you're likely to do more harm than good. However the actor Jason Ritter does battle manfully with the challenges of the script.There are some nice touches. The lightning transformation of "Dad" from patronising to nasty is worth watching. And how the Ritter character manages to get habitual access to a supposedly secure apartment building is educational. As viewer, you need to keep your wits about you: at one point, the female lead runs into the aunt (from another apartment in the building) who has died (so she's been told) - but the old dear is walking around in perfect health.So why does a not very busy video store need a "staff" of four behind the counter? For students of Greek drama, these other three guys count as the "chorus", commenting wisely on the action. And one customer volunteers a homily on happiness - a bit clumsy? To enjoy this movie, you need to accept the conventions. Not every step in the logic will be adequately explained, or even perhaps explainable. Ever since "Pride and Prejudice", the essence of chicklit has been that supposedly insuperable barriers will block the path to true love and happiness. A situation that "ought to end badly"? - sure it is. But are we suckers for redemption? Bet on it.

Marianna Palka's Good Dick is a fascinating romantic drama with a take that on the genre that you probably haven't seen before (or at least done this well).A woman who goes to her local video store daily to rent soft core porn becomes the object of affection for the video clerk. It's a simple situational setup that masks the layers beneath. The woman is cold and distant and seemingly not interested in a relationship, of any kind, despite the constant attempts by the video clerk. In fact she treats him pretty bad. Not until the end when we meet her father do we really understand her. She's been sexually abused by him, the first man in her life, and that shapes how she interacts with other men. It now becomes interesting that her erotic interest lie in soft core porn (porn without penetration as the clerk tells her). The clerk too isn't without issues to be addressed. He's battled drug addiction which may explain his addictive personality and why he won't give up on her despite the vitriolic insults and humiliation she dishes.It's been said that hurt people hurt people, and that concept is exemplified well in this film. She treats him bad because that's what she knows. She maintains control of their relationship because she knows how awful it feels to be the one being controlled. Many times throughout the film she dominates him (even simulating rape) to humiliation, and it's painfully clear that she's been through hell.Through it all we are left with a hopeful ending. A confrontation with her father and reconciliation with her video clerk are small steps in her progression. In the end we're left with two damaged people moving forward together. Hopeful, indeed.(Be careful Googling this one - the title may lead you to the dark side of the web!

*** This review may contain spoilers *** This movie is not about a troubled young woman and a hopeless video guy. It is about any couple who meet and overcome their neuroses enough to be able to get along and open up to each other. Usually people abandon their partner too soon, before the rough edges have been knocked off, and smoothed out enough to become livable.Yes, it is a story of support, unfailing love, and belief that helped Mariana Palka's character deal with her past, and finally face the present.But who doesn't carry problems from the past with them? And who's spouse doesn't exhibit issues that arise from childhood challenges.That's why i love this movie: I can totally relate to it, and like Jason Ritter's character, i know that we can help our spouse as they help us. It takes time, patience, and love, lots of it.If you are perfect, and have had perfect partners, then you won't understand this movie. However, if you are human, with the usual foibles and have had relationships with other humans, you will find something rewarding about this unusual portrayal of a very usual human condition.

I am truly, truly thankful for this movie. It actually helped me see that some of my more bizarre behaviors can be traced back to my own experiences with sexual abuse. Somehow this film made me feel less alone and more alone simultaneously. Less alone because its existence means that at least one person (the writer) truly understands. More alone because though the pure, unconditional love offered up is exquisitely beautiful, it is extremely rare and I doubt seriously it will ever be offered to me. Except by God, of course. Great film. It illustrates one of the main reasons why I would love to be a filmmaker. Movies can and do reach people, and in some instances, help.