Dicks: The Musical | |
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Directed by | Larry Charles |
Screenplay by |
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Based on | Fucking Identical Twins by
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Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Michelle Lawler |
Edited by | Al LeVine |
Music by |
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Production companies | |
Distributed by | A24 |
Release dates |
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Running time | 86 minutes [1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $8 million [2] |
Box office | $1.5 million [3] |
Dicks: The Musical is a 2023 American musical comedy film directed by Larry Charles, based on the off-Broadway musical Fucking Identical Twins by Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson. The film stars Sharp and Jackson as a pair of identical twins who plot to reunite their divorced parents.
The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2023. On October 6, 2023, it was released in the United States by A24, as the studio's first musical film.
God narrates the tale of Craig and Trevor, two straight, womanizing, misogynistic business salesmen who are, unbeknownst to them, identical twins separated at birth by their parents. When their companies undergo a merger, they finally meet. Initially competitive with one another, they realize that they are brothers when they notice each other's matching necklace pendants and learn each other's birthdays. In each other, they finally find a kindred spirit, but dissatisfied with their experiences growing up, they hatch a plan to get their parents back together to become a "real family". They each disguise themselves as one another and visit their other parent: Craig visits Evelyn, their shut-in and eccentric mother whose vagina had fallen off and died, and Trevor visits Harrison, their newly out gay father, who keeps two humanoid genetic mutants called "sewer boys" in a cage in his home. Both parents discuss their respective issues to their sons, to the boys' horror.
Disgusted, but adamant to complete their plan, the boys trick Evelyn and Harrison into having dinner together, who both accept due to their deep loneliness. Craig and Trevor's schemes cause them to miss work, and after insulting their boss, Gloria, she fires them. At the restaurant, Evelyn and Harrison realize that their sons have met and what they are trying to do. Nevertheless, they have sex in the restaurant, to the boys' delight, but leave them crushed when they tell them they have no intention of getting married again.
The failure causes a rift between the two boys and they fall into a depression to the point that Evelyn and Harrison kidnap them both to Harrison's home to try to cheer them up. However, the sewer boys get loose and flee back to the sewers. Harrison chases after them down the sewer, and Evelyn realizes that she wants more out of life and jumps in after him, as do the boys. Searching together, they all realize that they are a true family. Seeing the sewer boys about to be exterminated by a sewage worker, Evelyn reveals that she saved her dead vagina and nursed it back to health in her hand bag, throwing it at the worker and saving the sewer boys. Harrison realizes that he must let the sewer boys go in order to spend time with his true family.
Some time later, the family all move in together into an apartment, where Craig and Trevor share a room and bed and discover their intense sexual attraction to each other. They later get married in a ceremony officiated by God, which is interrupted by protestors and religious conservatives, decrying the union of two gay identical twins. God sternly lectures the protestors for their hatefulness and declares that Craig and Trevor's union will be added into the newest edition of his bestseller, The Bible. They all celebrate the union and the revelation that God is gay.
In June 2016, 20th Century Fox was set to produce a film adaptation of Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson's two-man musical Fucking Identical Twins with Sharp and Jackson writing the script and Peter Chernin's production company for Fox. [4] In February 2022, A24 acquired the film after Fox merged with Disney, with Chernin Entertainment still attached to produce and co-finance the film, and Larry Charles was set to direct. [5] [6] The creators took inspiration from the works of John Waters, Christopher Guest’s Waiting for Guffman (1996), The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and Strangers With Candy (1999–2000). [7] [8] [9] [10]
On February 17, 2022, Sharp and Jackson were set to reprise their roles and Megan Thee Stallion, Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally, and Bowen Yang joined the cast. [5] [6]
Dicks: The Musical (The Album) | |
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Soundtrack album by Marius de Vries, Karl Saint Lucy, Josh Sharp, Aaron Jackson and cast | |
Released | October 6, 2023 |
Genre | |
Length | 68:28 |
Label | A24 Music |
Producer | |
Singles from Dicks: The Musical (The Album) | |
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In February 2022, Sharp, Jackson and Karl Saint Lucy wrote new songs for the film. [5] Marius de Vries and Fiora Cutler were the film’s music producer and music supervisor, respectively. [6] Most of the vocal performances for the musical numbers were recorded live on set instead of the traditional method of lip-syncing to pre-recorded tracks. [11]
In an interview with Variety, de Vries felt that he had a responsibility to pay attention to the detailed work within the songwriting and the arrangements because "the overall mission of the show is so anarchic and uprooted… and demented". He was not parodying songs, but rather trying to "elicit humor by referencing other particular, specific songs". "The Sewer Song" is a quodlibet, combining several different melodies in counterpoint, such as "Johanna" from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and "One Day More" from Les Misérables. [12]
With the inclusion of the songs as well as the musical score, the soundtrack had an almost longer duration as the film, which was considered to be a bigger job, where they had to conduct jazz sessions to underscore the film. Some of the songs were performed in a large canvas, similar to a Broadway musical performance where they had to negotiate with the company in advance for paying symphonic arrangements. They kept the songs "fairly embryonic" even through the shoot as lot of vocals were shot and recorded live, most of the songs were existed as piano vocals until they hit the notes. Each song had to be expanded into an orchestral treatment — either symphonic or jazz — whenever needed, and they were almost fully orchestrated with the help of a computer. [12]
The original song "Out Alpha the Alpha" was performed by Megan Thee Stallion, initially conceived as a cabaret number but later changed to a rap number. Although they had been written as a virtuoso number, the song "had to be torn to pieces and then reconceived in a very fundamental way extremely quickly" following her casting and due to their short duration for rehearsal and filming. de Vries and Lucy felt the music is not self-consciously funny but was a calibration of the music being supportive of the action, and furthermore the pacing was felt like the need for more stuff underpinning the sequences of events rather than the internal emotional state of the characters, which was a bit esoteric. The duo wrote the score three times, where they got right at the final element. Matt Robertson worked as an additional music composer. [13]
No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
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1. | "Overture" |
| 2:07 |
2. | "I'll Always Be on Top" |
| 4:02 |
3. | "No One Understands" |
| 4:49 |
4. | "Tea with Mommy" |
| 3:15 |
5. | "Evelyn Song" | Megan Mullally | 2:38 |
6. | "Mimosas with Daddy" |
| 1:30 |
7. | "Gay Old Life" |
| 3:52 |
8. | "You Can't Give Up" |
| 3:02 |
9. | "An Invitation" |
| 2:36 |
10. | "Lonely" |
| 4:39 |
11. | "Vroomba!" |
| 0:10 |
12. | "Out Alpha the Alpha" | Megan Thee Stallion | 3:55 |
13. | "La Chateau" |
| 4:20 |
14. | "Desperate for Your Love" |
| 2:26 |
15. | "This Is Stupid" (Suite) |
| 4:12 |
16. | "No One Understands" (Reprise) |
| 0:53 |
17. | "Why Won't You Work?" |
| 0:53 |
18. | "Kidnap!" (Suite) |
| 2:14 |
19. | "Evelyn Song" (Reprise) | Mullally | 0:51 |
20. | "The Sewer Song" |
| 1:59 |
21. | "Animal Control" |
| 3:06 |
22. | "Nessuno Mi Ha Capita" |
| 2:06 |
23. | "Love in All Its Forms" |
| 1:54 |
24. | "All Love Is Love" |
| 3:58 |
25. | "Afterturn" |
| 3:01 |
Total length: | 68:28 |
It had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2023, where it won the People's Choice Award for Midnight Madness. [14] [15] [1] It was released in the United States by A24 on October 6, 2023. [16] It was previously scheduled to be released on September 29, 2023. [17]
The soundtrack was announced on September 11, 2023, consisting a combination of 25 tracks: both the songs and the incidental underscore, [18] set for release on October 6, the same day as the film. [19] [20] Alongside the album announcement, the song "All Love Is Love" was unveiled as a single through digital platforms. [21] Nathan Lane's single "Gay Old Life" was released on September 22, [22] while Megan Thee Stallion's song "Out Alpha the Alpha" released on October 4, [23] [24] and its music video unveiled the following day. [25] [26]
Dicks: The Musical was released for digital platforms on November 10, 2023. [27]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 68% of 108 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.0/10.The website's consensus reads: "From its eyebrow-raising title to its gleefully provocative humor, talented cast, and catchy songs, Dicks: The Musical is a cult movie in the making." [28] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 57 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [29]
Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair praised the songs as "legitimate toe-tappers". [30] Elisabeth Vincentelli of The New York Times called the music "passable" and the staging "mostly anemic". [31] Ross Bonaime of Collider felt that "the tone of these songs gets old unfortunately too soon, especially as the first few musical numbers rely solely on them". [32] David Fear of Rolling Stone wrote that the "outrageous, cabaret-style camp more than Broadway-style song-and-dance numbers" were one of the film's highlights. [33] David Ehrlich of IndieWire wrote the songs being "credible Broadway riffs" that "keep things moving along even when their staging falls short". [34] Johnny Oleksinski of New York Post wrote "The songs, catchy while not trying to break ground, are send-ups of traditional Broadway show tunes." [35]
Nathan Lane is an American actor. Since 1975, he has been on stage and screen in both comedic and dramatic roles. His awards include three Tony Awards, seven Drama Desk Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award, three Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Lane received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2010, The New York Times hailed Lane as being "the greatest stage entertainer of the decade".
Megan Mullally is an American actress. She is best known for playing Karen Walker in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, winning twice, in 2000 and 2006. She also received nominations for numerous other accolades for her portrayal, including seven consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, winning three times, in 2001, 2002, and 2003, as well as receiving four Golden Globe Award nominations.
Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion, is a Grammy award winning American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Originally from Houston, Texas, she rose to fame in 2019 after her freestyling videos went viral and the release of her singles "Hot Girl Summer" and "Cash Shit".
Bowen Yang is an American actor, comedian, podcaster, and writer. Yang was hired to join the writing staff of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live in September 2018, ahead of its 44th season, and a year later was promoted to on-air cast status for SNL's 45th season. He made history becoming the first SNL featured player to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2021. He was promoted to repertory status before the 47th season.
American rapper Megan Thee Stallion has released three studio albums, one reissue, one compilation album, three mixtapes, three extended plays, 60 singles, and six promotional singles. In her early career, Megan Thee Stallion released the non-commercial, SoundCloud-exclusive mixtapes Rich Ratchet (2016) and Megan Mix (2017). She made her official solo debut by commercially releasing her first professional EP, Make It Hot, on September 18, 2017, which was followed by her second EP Tina Snow on June 8, 2018.
"Hot Girl Summer" is a song by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion featuring Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj and American singer Ty Dolla Sign, released on August 9, 2019, by 300 Entertainment. It was written by all three artists alongside Syed Hossain, Derrick Milano, and producers Crazy Mike, Juicy J, & Bone Collector, with additional writing credits going to Earl On The Beat, JT, and Lil Yachty for the sampling of City Girls' 2019 song "Act Up"; the song was produced by Bone Collector, Juicy J, and Crazy Mike and engineered by Irving Gadoury. Commercially, the song debuted and peaked at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100. On Billboard's Rhythmic Songs airplay chart, it became Megan Thee Stallion's first number one, Nicki Minaj's eighth, and Ty Dolla Sign's third.
"Diamonds" is a song by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion and American singer Normani. It was released on January 10, 2020, by Atlantic, as the lead single from the soundtrack to the film Birds of Prey. The song samples "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" by Marilyn Monroe, making this the first song to directly sample the jazz classic according to the music blog Idolator.
"Savage" is a song by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion. It was released on March 6, 2020, as part of her EP Suga and later sent to US contemporary hit radio on April 7, 2020, by 1501 Certified Entertainment and 300 Entertainment as the third single from the EP. The song was written by the artist with Bobby Sessions, Akeasha Boodie, and producer J. White Did It. It went viral on video-sharing app TikTok, with people performing the "Savage" dance challenge during the song's chorus.
"Girls in the Hood" is a song by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion from her debut studio album, Good News (2020). It was released on June 26, 2020, through 1501 Certified Entertainment and 300 Entertainment, as the album's lead single. Built around a sample of "Boyz-n-the-Hood" by Eazy-E and featuring electric guitar and 808 drums, it is a hip hop song with braggadocious lyrics.
"WAP" is a song by American rapper Cardi B, featuring fellow American rapper Megan Thee Stallion. It was released on August 7, 2020, through Atlantic as the lead single from Cardi B's upcoming second studio album. Musically, it is a hip hop song driven by heavy bass, drum beats, and a sample of Frank Ski's single "Whores in This House" (1993). With sexually explicit lyrics which made it gain popularity, the song reached the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
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