Good Dick (2008)

You won't be disappointed!

Waste of time

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

This movie is strange. It starts slowly and one kind of thinks that it's gonna be a boring movie. But then one starts to watch it and actually live with the lives of the heroes. There's something about this movie. It reminds me of personal experiences of unrequited love or maybe unfullfilled love, when one cannot express all feelings but feels deeply. Sometimes I was wishing for the guy to leave the girl in teh movie, so much abuse was there. But then something opened up, and the girl did a great thing in the end. The guy did a great thing too by being humble and accepting for the most of it, which is a rare thing. Really strange movie, but kind of feels real like it could happen in life.

The characters are superbly believable, which is why it's all the more frustrating that I really didn't like this film, and I'm not sure where the script writer was trying to take it. Disturbingly, the LA Times bills it as "Joyful, romantic and genuinely sexy!". If you find this film romantic and sexy, much less joyful, I suggest you lay off the dating scene for a while.Here are some assumptions the film's script writer seems to make: 1) Normal women don't watch porn, much less rough porn. If she rents pornographic DVDs, she's up for it, or perhaps messed up, or both. We're really not sure.2) Single women are lonely. They don't want to be spending so much time on their own. They're waiting on you to bust into their apartments under false pretenses and have you force yourself on them. They may say no, get lost or shut up, but they want you, really.3) Any single woman who doesn't throw herself at the first enterprising jock who comes her way must have a history of abuse. She's messed up. After all, what's not to love about your lies, your stalking, your arrogance and refusal to take no for an answer, your poor conversational skills and your 8ish inch schlong? The supporting cast provided some comic relief to the uncomfortable plot. I can't think of one performance that was off or didn't ring true. The situation itself is entirely believable - an abuse victim may well be a fan of porn, and have rape fantasies in which she's a victim no more. She may find it hard to cut ties to her abuser and stand on her own feet. She's very likely to find it hard to form close and intimate relationships with others. She may also unconsciously seek out similarly abusive relationships and use them as a crutch - it's what she knows. That's fine - what I found uncomfortable about this film is the way it is packaged up and sold to us as viewers. This is NOT a love story. We could do without the happy music at the end - the aggressive male protagonist shows no character growth throughout this film whatsoever.I'm intrigued enough that I'd love to hear what Palka was thinking. Perhaps it was intended as cautionary rather than as a happy romantic tale, and some subtle nuances were lost. Reading some of the comments on IMDb though, I'm not surprised that it's apparently missed its mark. "Where do you find a man like that, one so patient and loving and willing to take her with all her flaws?". Puhleeze. This guy is so wrapped up in himself, he doesn't care a whit for who she is, as long as he can get his leg over, one way or another. Where can you find such a man, indeed? Having spent several years on the internet dating scene prior to meeting my husband, I can tell you that such dubious characters are not in short supply.

My only reason for this writing is to say that I'm pretty sure the very important "learning something everyday is knowledge, letting go of something wisdom" quote is a Zen proverb and not Emerson. I do believe this idea is key in everyone's life. Even abuse cases. Everybody had to know there was some deep problem with the girl, what with the dark rings under the eyes and all, but which problem this time? Bullying, the Holocaust, locked in the step parents closet for 5 years? Art is always trying to identify human conditions and I do appreciate that, but when it's toe curlingly familiar, well, it's just familiar. That said, the girl did let go in the end, I think, so we all can learn a little from this movie.

Marianna Palka's Good Dick is a fascinating romantic drama with a take that on the genre that you probably haven't seen before (or at least done this well).A woman who goes to her local video store daily to rent soft core porn becomes the object of affection for the video clerk. It's a simple situational setup that masks the layers beneath. The woman is cold and distant and seemingly not interested in a relationship, of any kind, despite the constant attempts by the video clerk. In fact she treats him pretty bad. Not until the end when we meet her father do we really understand her. She's been sexually abused by him, the first man in her life, and that shapes how she interacts with other men. It now becomes interesting that her erotic interest lie in soft core porn (porn without penetration as the clerk tells her). The clerk too isn't without issues to be addressed. He's battled drug addiction which may explain his addictive personality and why he won't give up on her despite the vitriolic insults and humiliation she dishes.It's been said that hurt people hurt people, and that concept is exemplified well in this film. She treats him bad because that's what she knows. She maintains control of their relationship because she knows how awful it feels to be the one being controlled. Many times throughout the film she dominates him (even simulating rape) to humiliation, and it's painfully clear that she's been through hell.Through it all we are left with a hopeful ending. A confrontation with her father and reconciliation with her video clerk are small steps in her progression. In the end we're left with two damaged people moving forward together. Hopeful, indeed.(Be careful Googling this one - the title may lead you to the dark side of the web!