Critics Have Seen Dicks: The Musical, And They Seem To Be In Agreement On The ‘Absurd’ And ‘Irreverent’ Comedy
The A24 film's wide release comes October 20.
Dicks: The Musical got its start as a 30-minute stage show titled Fucking Identical Twins, and now Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson of the Upright Citizens Brigade have expanded their raunchy musical for the big screen. A24 has made a name for itself with its unique and often bizarre content, and from what critics are saying about Dicks: The Musical, the comedy seems to fit right in with the best A24 offerings. With the movie getting a wide release to theaters October 20, let’s take a look at the comedy that’s being touted as a meta masterpiece of humorous irreverence.
Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson reprise their roles as “identical twins” Craig and Trevor, but instead of the two-man version at UCB, they’re joined by some iconic co-stars in Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally and Bowen Yang as the narrator God. The plot has strong notes of The Parent Trap, but it’s so much more than that. CinemaBlend’s own Corey Chichizola calls it the “most unhinged” movie he’s ever seen, full of wild musical numbers that poke fun at the tropes of musical theater. He’s ready for a rewatch (or 12), writing:
Michael Ordoña of the LA Times says to think The Parent Trap with loads of horny humor, deadpan jokes and a healthy dose of blasphemy. While Nathan Lane and Megan Mullally are a highlight, the movie overall lags a little in the middle. The critic continues:
Glen Weldon of NPR marvels at how Dicks: The Musical could possibly be less subtle than its title. While its sustained absurdity isn’t really built for the long haul, the movie is a lot of dumb fun, Weldon says, with songs that mostly work. According to the critic:
Ethan Anderton of SlashFilm rates it a 7 out of 10, despite writing that it goes off the rail (not necessarily in a good way) with its absurdity. To be absurd is the point, according to Anderton, who writes:
I mean, who doesn’t love a good sing-along, right? Siddhant Adlakha of Polygon calls Dicks: The Musical a “meta comedy masterpiece” and says it has the potential to go down as one of the decade’s smartest and funniest comedies. The critic continues:
Dicks: The Musical premiered at Toronto International Film Festival before seeing a limited theatrical release. It’s gotten mostly positive buzz so far, accumulating a 74% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 76 critics. If this absurdist humor sounds like it’s right up your alley, now is the time to hit the theater, with the movie seeing its wide release on Friday, October 20. Be sure to also check out our 2023 Movie Schedule to see what other new releases are coming soon.
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Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.