Dick Movie

The conventional wisdom on Dick Tracy (1990) has always been that it was a grotesque misfire. Then I started reading and hearing that it was a cult classic, well worth a watch. So, we cued it up.

It stars Warren Beatty, which makes sense because, like Dick, he's kind of a stiff. At least, that's what I think - I haven't seen a lot of his movies. I think of him as the handsome kid in Dobie Gillis. He lives in a brightly colored, artificial world. His best girl is Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headly), who wishes he'd settle down and marry her. After a date at a diner, they pick up a little brat called "The Kid", who Tracy keeps leaving with people.

This kid had previously been a witness to a major hit, when Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino!?!) starts to consolidate his control over the gangs. In the funnies, Tracy's villains usually have some distinctive deformity, and these crooks follow that tradition. There is a lot of facial appliances going on. Pacino has huge hands and face, and gets off lightly.

He has a girlfriend, a chantoozy named Breathless Malone, played by one Madonna. She has a couple of numbers in the film, and you know? She's great. I'm not a big fan of her own music, but she has a great Roaring 20's look and sound when she wants too. The songs are mostly Stephen Sondheim, also not one of my favorites, but here, it works. Of course, she's after Tracy - is it heartbreak for Tess Trueheart?

In the end, my opinion of this is mixed. Yes, it is colorful, atmospheric, and very true to the comic. It is visually striking. The cast is amazing - Dustin Hoffman, in a small but choice role as Mumbles, unrecognizable under the makeup. Then there's Pacino, who gets several unhinged monologues. And Madonna is pretty great too.

But it is also pretty shaggy, with a plot that's all over the place. The makeup effects are so extreme that some of the characters look more like papier mache puppet heads than people. And Beatty, who directed as well as starred, is the blank void at the center. There isn't a lot you can do with a pure straight-shooter like Tracy.

In conclusion, see it because it's weird and silly. If it turns out that you enjoy it unironically, it's a win.