The Death of Dick Long

People were telling me this was one of the funniest movies of 2019. I honestly found it kind of depressing. The original concept and twist halfway through the movie was funny and it's impressive that they just rolled with it and made an ironically self-serious film about *spoilers*. However, once the concept was revealed, I continued to wonder how it would play out, but not because of the humor. There were very humorous elements that made the concept easier to digest and laugh about, but make no mistake, this is not a funny movie. It's a film about a broken man who lets his own insecurities and guilt get in the way of his relationships with his family, his friends, until it eventually leads to something hilariously tragic. It's a film about trust and what happens when you refuse to confront the problems you know are the root cause of everything wrong in your life and what it could lead to, how far it could go. The extreme hypothetical this film presents is much deeper than what is presented on the surface. The Death of Dick Long is a cautionary tale not for *spoilers*, but for the prevention of allowing yourself to be destroyed by yourself. That to me is why this movie works so well. The irony in its tone, its score, its suspenseful atmosphere and dark-red lighting, its wonderful direction, and its high-concept are just a cherry on top to make approaching the fearfulness of addiction and loneliness a little bit easier to tackle. I don't recommend going into this movie knowing anything, I encourage you to laugh at it's absurdity. But unlike most who review this film, I encourage you to think a little bit more about what it is truly saying about your own status within any relationship you hold in your life, and rely upon trust, honesty, and care to get you through whatever you are dealing with. Now the reason I am giving this 4 stars and not 5 is just some of the technical elements that don't necessarily work for me within the film. The script can tend to take itself a little too seriously in the first half of the film, despite understanding it is trying to keep its secret from us until necessary. A bit of the camera-work feels a little shoddy in certain places, giving this an unintentional mockumentary feel during certain crucial moments where the script shouldn't feel goofy, and is a strange contrast from the script's dynamic dryness. Despite an intentionally ironic melodrama following the big reveal, some of it definitely feels drawn out and takes away from the tension of the situation as well as the humor the situation brings with it. Those are the extent of my critiques though, this was a truly wonderful surprise in the most unexpected way possible; a surprising departure from a film that I knew and expected would have a different type of surprise. Thank you so much, have a nice day, I hope this movie means just as much to you as it did to me.

perfect movie .