Dicks: The Musicalis veritable proof that there’s really no other studio making movies like A24. It’s one thing to adapt a stage musical for the screen, and another altogether to do so with a story that not only plays by its own rules and purposefully challenges its audiences, but also, without apology, doesn’t care what you might think about it at the end of the day. In this regard, the “A” in A24 really should stand for “audacity” because, as the studio’s first-ever musical movie,Dicksis as daring and wickedly funny as it is horny and heartfelt.
Directed by Larry Charles (who helmedBoratand episodes ofCurb Your Enthusiasm, which should already tell you what to expect),Dicks: The Musicalis an adaptation of Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson’s 30-minute Off-Broadway musical,F***ing Identical Twins. In addition to writing the screenplay, Sharp and Jackson star as Craig and Trevor, respectively, the two top-earning salesmen of a robot vacuum parts company run by Megan Thee Stallion’s Gloria. Both men are at the top of their game, and yet they can’t help but feel that something is missing from each of their lives.
As it turns out, Craig and Trevorare long-lost siblings— twins, more precisely — who were separated at birth upon their parents' split. In the same vein ofThe Parent Trap, the brothers decide to switch places so that they could get to know the parent they never had. Accompanied by sassy narration from Gay God (Bowen Yang), we follow as Craig pretends to be Trevor when he meets his mom, Evelyn (Megan Mullally), while Trevor poses as Craig upon visiting his father, Harris (Nathan Lane). Together, the twins plot to unite their parents — and, by extension, their family — once again.
An Unapologetically Gay Movie
Dicks: The Musicalwill surely test its audience’s capacity to see the forest beyond the trees. Indeed, the film wastes no time introducing itself as one of the most NSFW movies you’ll likely see this year. The opening musical number, for example, sees Craig and Trevor singing about their virility and the size of their genitals, to put it mildly. From there,Dicksutilizes every second of its runtime to push the envelope of raunchy storytelling. Among many things, there’s Megan Thee Stallion walking men on leashes, sewer people puppets, God dressinglike a circuit gay, and a sex scene that will leave you, as the gays say, gagged (though, in this instance it might be more literal than figurative).
However, those who do stick around until the end — the film clocks in at justunder 90 minutes— will see thatDicks: The Musicalis essentially a story about love and unity, told through an unapologetically gay lens, that is foremost meant to make you laugh. Sharp and Jackson write like they have nothing to lose, aiming for the darkest or boldest punchline and, frankly, hitting every bullseye. No stranger to transgressive material, Charles' direction here is masterful, at once leaning into the artifice of the movie’s world while never losing sight of the tender, more heartfelt moments between its characters.
Exclusive: Dicks: The Musical Cast and Director on Pulling Off A24’s Raunchiest Movie Yet
We interviewed Larry Charles and the cast of A24’s Dicks: The Musical, a raunchy yet heartfelt film with Megan Mullally, Nathan Lane, and Bowen Yang.
The result is a decidedly 21st-Century film brimming with timely pop-cultural references that, at the same time, feels like aclassical Hollywood musical. Production designer Steve Wolff has built a world that feels perfect staged and lived-in, each set as distinct as the characters that live in it. Responsible for writing the songs and composing the music, Sharp, Jackson, Karl Saint Lucy, and Marius de Vries run the gamut of genres, featuring rap like Megan Thee Stallion’s catchy “Out-Alpha the Alpha” and ballads like Mullally and Lane’s soulful duet “Lonely.” And with everything going on, editor Al Levine ensures that we never get lost.
A Cast of Gay Icons
Dicks: The Musicalis effectively a formidable feature debut for Sharp and Jackson. As Craig and Trevor, they aptly turn in balls-to-the-wall performances. The actors were originally performing their two-man show in the basement of a grocery store, perOutSmart Magazine, before Chernin and A24 turned it into a movie, and it’s clear they’re having the time of their lives here, which makes it all the more fun to dive into the twisted world they’ve created. Alongside Yang and Megan Thee Stallion, each of whom are funny as hell, it feels like we’re witnessing the birth of new queer movie icons.
Best R-Rated Movie Musicals, Ranked
From Purple Rain to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, here is a look back at some of the greatest R-rated movie musicals ever made.
We, course, can’t talk about gay icons without mentioning Lane and Mullally. As Evelyn, Mullally makes even the wildest choices believable; nobody plays kooky like she does, and to do it while singing is worthy of all the standing ovations. Meanwhile, Lane’s Harris arguably experiences the most human and relatable arc of a man finally coming to terms with his inner truth. He infuses his signature flair to the role, but he also brings much of the film’s vulnerability, making his performance a stand-out.
In a way, it’s almost poetic to see Lane and Mullally shine inDicks: The Musical. BetweenThe BirdcageandWill & Grace, respectively, both actors were at the fore ofbringing LGBTQ+ representationon-screen to mainstream audiences in the late-1990s. Back then, naturally, there were still limits to what could be shown and, in retrospect, some shortcomings in each production, but it nonetheless feels like a full-circle moment. What they, and everyone atDicksfor that matter, have accomplished here is queer cinema at its finest, setting the bar for how gay a movie can really be.
Dicks: The Musicalreleases in theaters on October 6.
Dicks: The Musical
Dicks: The Musical is a comedy musical film based on the play by Aaron Jackson. When two single-minded business rivals discover that they’re identical twins, they plan to reunite their parents and rebuild the family they never had. By switching places with each other, the two brothers invite chaos into their - and everyone else’s - worlds.
