I am not one for musicals. I don’t mind them, but I feel like out of all of genres out there, musicals are perhaps the one genre that I am the most critical of. Seeing that this was being marketed as A24’s first musical, I was intrigued, because I will pretty much watch every A24 film out there, plus seeing this being strongly marketed as their first musical certainly piqued interest. The end product strongly exceeded my expectations. This is one of those films that rarely get made anymore.

Starting off with the humor, this is hilarious, and has to be one of the funniest movies of the year. I was actually not expecting the level of humor that this film has. The humor is very similar to adult comedies like South Park or Family Guy. I personally love that humor, because it allows me to not always take everything seriously. In the film’s opening monologue, they make it a point that the lead actors, who are gay, play straight roles and mention how brave they are doing for this. While that’s not exactly the case, I got the immediate impression that the film was meant to not be taken so serious. The last time I got that was in 2021’s Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar.

From the opening monologue, the film wastes no time to point how ridiculous is truly is. We are introduced to the two main characters, Craig & Trevor (or is it Trevor & Craig?) played by Josh Sharp & Aaron Jackson through a musical piece of what their life is like. It shows how they present the common toxic male. Through this opening song, it shows how ridiculous it is for even males to act in this sort of way. Even when they are introduced as identical twin brothers, God, played Bowen Yang is there to remind is that it is what it is and just deal with it. Craig & Trevor are appalled by this revelation when they begin to work at the same job that sells Roomba knock-off products. They even have matching necklaces that prove that they are indeed brothers. The opening sequence alone shows that Sharp & Jackson are stars in the making.

What I love about the humor is that it doesn’t stop there. I’d even say that it slowly dials up the raunchiness of it a level until the very end. When the main characters found out they are brothers, the next moment they are walking out of a sexually explicit film of another A24 film. Next thing you know it’s mentioned that is the morning. The fact that they would do this in the morning for a gag has to be appreciated. Next, are introduced to Nathan Lane’s & Megan Mullally’s characters as they play as the brother’s dad & mom. Lane & Mullally live up the characters that they need to play. Without getting into any spoilers, these two are not afraid to commit to the script. Only notable negative thing here regarding Mullally’s character is that it can be hard to hear here at times since she is intentionally trying to sound different.

After a hilarious first act, the second act slows down. I am not sure if this was intentional due to its short runtime. Not that it was bad, but it does impact the flow a bit compared to the rest of the film. There is a musical set piece from Megan Thee Stallion, which has a great message. The problem that stands out is that it doesn’t flow with the story of the rest of the film. It is quite random and feels like was only there to add in one more message. A longer runtime could have allowed for more of these type of sequences to tackle more. Overall, I would have to say that the overall message of the film is that no matter what others do, as long as they aren’t hurting you, leave them alone. It also coneys the fact that people have to take accountability for their toxic actions. A longer runtime would have really helped with the pacing and delivering that overall message on a higher note.

The third act picks back up and suspends any disbelief of what occurs. I’d even say that it solidifies that this film will not be for everyone. I was sure that someone would have walked out of my theater at some point, but everyone was laughing hysterically and enjoying themselves, even the older lady that was there. I can only hope that this type of humor can be more appreciated in the long run. With so much seriousness in the world, it is nice to see films that deliver on laughs & messages, no matter how raunchy and ridiculous it can get.

Overall, if you are a fan of A24’s filmography, enjoy musicals, or even enjoy raunchy humor in the veins of something like South Park, I strongly recommend Dicks: The Musical. It may not be for everyone and its short runtime may hinder the quality, but its originality & confidence certainly makes this worth the watch.

VERDICT: Pretty Good