There’s a certain breed of scuzzy inept criminal yokel — he’s the sap trying to hide what he did, but doing it in such an amateur way that his scheme devolves into a shambolic mess — who has become inseparable, in movies, from a kind of downscale heartland-of-America hipster satire. The Coen brothers, in a number of their films, have been the smirking poets of this genre — “Fargo,” without a doubt, is the “Citizen Kane” of the form — but the Coens aren’t alone. One thinks of the hillbilly noir of “A Simple Plan,” or the out-of-their-depths druggie thieves of “Killing Them Softly.” “The Death of Dick Long” is a scruffy mongrel of an indie thriller made very much in that tradition. The distinguishing quality of its jokey, can-you-believe-this? tone is that the two millennial hayseeds at its center are so richly incompetent that they seem to be inventing a...
- 9/26/2019
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Where to begin here? Sometimes, a film can paint itself into a corner that it never quite gets out of. Such is the case with The Death of Dick Long, which opens this week and is hiding a hell of a reveal midway through. With no exaggeration, it’s one of the most unexpected moments in cinema this year. However, that’s the point where the tale begins to crumble, ultimately proving ever so slightly unworthy of the time investment. A boldly unique work, it sadly can’t quite stick the second half, preventing one from actually embracing it as audiences might otherwise have. The movie is a self proclaimed backwoods noir, one tinged with some black comedy. Zeke Olsen (Michael Abbott Jr.), Earl Wyeth (Andre Hyland), and Dick Long are buddies, who spend many a night practicing with their band. Or, at least they spend some portions of the evenings practicing,...
- 9/26/2019
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
"Did you hear about the murder?" A24 has unveiled the first official trailer for a wacky, hilarious, extra weird indie dark comedy called The Death of Dick Long. This premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to some divisive reviews, but that's what makes it so good. From director Daniel Scheinert (of Swiss Army Man), the film is about Zeke, played by Michael Abbott Jr., and Earl, played by Andre Hyland, two friends who are just too dumb to figure out how to cover up for their other friend's accidental death. The cast includes Virginia Newcomb, Sarah Baker, Jess Weixler, Sunita Mani, Roy Wood Jr., Poppi Cunningham, and Janelle Cochrane. It's some sort of wild, redneck dark comedy, that some will find hilarious, others will find too dumb. Up to you to decide? At least the poster is amazing. Have fun. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Daniel...
- 8/15/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
For its first hour, “The Death of Dick Long” is a derivative and clunky black comedy that cribs from “Fargo” and trafficks in crass white-trash stereotypes, but that’s only part of a larger agenda. With the arrival of a kinky twist, the movie undercuts its lowbrow humor with real emotional stakes. The story of two close friends contending with the secret of their mutual buddy’s accidental death seems fairly straightforward — until it subverts expectations with gratifying results indicative of shrewd storytelling at work.
That’s no surprise given that “Dick Long” is the first solo directing credit for Daniel Scheinert, following his co-directing on “Swiss Army Man” (aka the “farting corpse movie”) that managed to turn its toilet gags into a surreal tone poem. “Dick Long,” which stems from Billy Chew’s script, lacks the same abstract weirdness that made “Swiss Army Man” such an indelible cinematic delight.
That’s no surprise given that “Dick Long” is the first solo directing credit for Daniel Scheinert, following his co-directing on “Swiss Army Man” (aka the “farting corpse movie”) that managed to turn its toilet gags into a surreal tone poem. “Dick Long,” which stems from Billy Chew’s script, lacks the same abstract weirdness that made “Swiss Army Man” such an indelible cinematic delight.
- 1/27/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
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