A distinctly unlikable movie about dislikable people, writer/director/actor Marianna Palka's mumblecore version of dysfunctional romance is the most unromantic picture of the year.
1 Comment
10/15/08
Rate this Movie 
Good Dick (2008)
49
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:37
Fresh:18
Rotten:19
Average Rating:5.2/10
Consensus: Marianna Palka's quirky indie debut centred on two dysfunctional loners is hit and miss, but has enough originality to see it through.
Theatrical Release:Oct 10, 2008 Limited
Synopsis: Good Dick is a truly original love story. It is also quite funny and a joy to watch. When Anna slinks into an independent video store to check out the latest in erotic offerings, she catches the... [More]
Starring: Jason Ritter, Marianna Palka, Eric Edelstein, Martin Starr
Director: Marianna Palka
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for Good Dick
One of the weakest competition entries at Sundance Fest this year, this pseudo romantic-erotic feature promises more than it can deliver, and after a cute beginning falls apart.
01/05/09
Despite dealing with some very heavy issues Palka has a surprisingly light touch, levening the more bleak moments with some rich, dark comedy.
06/13/08
Palka has an eye for authenticity -- the bland LA apartments, growling traffic and isolation of living in a city that requires people to make their own happiness.
10/08/08
Marianna Palka's debut feature is a quirky, slight, self-absorbed study of romantic loners reaching out to one another in low-rent Los Angeles.
10/03/08
This entertains enough to get by, marking Palka and Ritter as talents to watch.
10/03/08
Good Dick’ is enjoyable as a cute, playful indie – it’s just not as perceptive about female psychology as it sets out to be.
10/03/08
If peeking in on these two characters' most deep-seated dysfunctions might seem as intrusive as stalking and as exploitative as scopophilia, then Palka is at pains to expose the all too human yearnings that underlie both activities.
08/12/08
Good Dick 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.
10/10/08
Top CriticIn another movie, the boy who pursues this girl would be a serial killer.
11/14/08
Marianne Palka's comedy, which she wrote and stars in, lacks the script, acting and the laughs to rise in the marketplace above similar Sundance-style fare, despite the sado-masochistic streak.
10/18/08
Ultimately, the body part that gets the most play is the mouth, with the hyphenate and her personal-professional partner Ritter trading the sort of sub-Cassavetes banter that screams self-written acting exercises.
10/15/08
Things happen eventually but we never really know what ails her or why the boy is so taken by her mute presence.
10/03/08
The Kevin Smith-esque dude banter might place Dick in a US indie tradition, but there’s also an honesty to the script and performances that’s genuinely original and touching.
10/03/08
Nearly blindsides us with moments of such genuine thoughtfulness and surprises that wouldn't be out-of-place in a script by Cameron Crowe or Richard Curtis.
01/26/08
All of the most annoying elements of independent cinema are on full display in Good Dick, a painfully awkward attempt at...well, I'm not sure what exactly.
10/18/08
Another indie that wears its quirks and gritty "realism" a little too proudly.
10/09/08
The film wears its arthouse aspirations all over the shelves. But the romance between Jason Ritter’s shy Romeo and Palka’s sullen loner is a morbidly peculiar stretch.
10/03/08
Alternately compelling and dramatically limp, the film scores points for exploring unfamiliar territory but lacks the emotional depth to make some very strange behavior believable.
10/18/08
A well-meaning comedy that undoes all its good work in the final act, Good Dick would've been better served with further development in the Sundance Lab. That said, Jason Ritter delivers a breakthrough performance that saves the film.
10/03/08
Latest News for Good Dick
October 12, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review 
More...
October 09, 2008:
Critics Consensus: Express Scores, Body of Lies Falls Flat
This week at the movies, we've got suspicious spies (Body of Lies, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe), gridiron greats (The Express, starring Rob Brown and Dennis... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
History of Disney Animation
MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.
90 Years of Screen Vampires
TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.
Virtuoso Vistas of Lovely Bones
Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.
Recent Headlines as TV Movies
AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.
The Death of Original Thought
Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill explores how remakes and reboots have warped our thinking.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds