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Dick Johnson Is Dead

Play trailer 1:47 Poster for Dick Johnson Is Dead PG-13 2020 1h 29m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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99% Tomatometer 101 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
A filmmaker and her elderly father stage his death in various ways to help them face his inevitable demise.
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Dick Johnson Is Dead

Dick Johnson Is Dead

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Critics Consensus

Dick Johnson Is Dead celebrates a life with bittersweet humor and grace, offering a deeply resonant perspective on mortality in the bargain.

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Critics Reviews

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Derek Smith Slant Magazine 02/09/2022
Kirsten Johnson's inventive docufiction project gets a sturdy transfer and some perceptive extras courtesy of the Criterion Collection. Go to Full Review
Hannah McGill Sight & Sound 02/07/2021
Rather than positing better ways of processing death, this film celebrates our inability to do so: inventive as we are, we are no match for it. Go to Full Review
Tim Grierson Screen International 02/07/2021
For those who have watched loved ones fight a losing battle with Alzheimer's, the movie might seem unappealing, but Johnson's deeply compassionate, even hopeful tone could be a balm for her fellow grievers. Go to Full Review
Ryan McQuade InSession Film 04/04/2024
There is something pretty special about watching this family experience the subject of death together. Death doesn’t have to be a lonely, sad process; it can be one of joy, double fudge chocolate cake, and spending as much time as you can... Go to Full Review
Amy Smith InSession Film 03/01/2024
In what is easily the best documentary of 2020, Kirsten Johnson is able to approach a subject matter such as the inevitable death of her father, Dick Johnson, and have fun... Go to Full Review
Greg Carlson Vague Visages 02/07/2024
Johnson brilliantly arranges and organizes the vignettes that account for her unique 'living obituary.' Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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J M @jeffmarshallmovieblogger 02/11/2024 This is a documentary that will hit many different people in many different ways depending on their past and present life experiences. Without getting too personal, in some ways I am living out a bit of what is happening in this movie and found parallels that are eerily accurate, including a need to help figure out the TV that happened just a few hours earlier today. As a result, this was a rather extraordinary experience for me. I'll be honest - when I first read the description of this movie, it sounded a bit off kilter, and I think it could have gone terribly wrong in numerous ways. But director/daughter Johnson is a smart cookie and finds a beautiful balance between the pain and the humor. While I expected to be moved - and I most certainly was - I was surprised by how often I smiled and laughed throughout. And it helps that Dick Johnson is just the loveliest man ever, a kind and gentle soul whose smile lights up a room and whose spirit is inspiring to us half his age. There are moments here I will truly never forget, and I'm not being hyperbolic. I think this will touch anyone who has gone through or is going through the experience of having an elderly parent or parents. Alternately hilarious and heartbreaking, I'll be thinking of Dick Johnson for a long time to come. See more Jerry K @JKern1963 09/29/2023 Other than the staged death scenes (which were fun), the film is simply boring and unentertaining. This would have worked much better as a short film. See more Axel P @TheRealAckervold 03/02/2023 Darkly comedic and emotionally tear-jerking at the same time, cinematographer-turned-director Kirsten Johnson creates a hilarious and welcoming atmosphere in Dick Johnson that documentarians will do well to follow in the future. See more 04/07/2022 This is a morbid yet quite profound documentary, for those not ready to face or accept death, it can be quite daunting and disquieting, however Dick and Kirsten through their feeling of acceptance, were able to somehow make the whole idea of death comforting and tender. This documentary shows how significant the present is, the little moments matter and they stay with us forever. It can be quite a hard topic to watch, but the producer was able to make it bearable with little splashes of humour, love, acceptance, friendship and peace. See more Tom E 03/11/2022 Very creative project, mostly well done though I thought some of the skits were over-played. Perhaps for me the topic was too close to my path and the emotional memories impacted me too much to appreciate the actual movie. See more 01/08/2022 Don't see what the fuss was about. I found the film self-indulgent and cringeworthy at times. See more Read all reviews
Dick Johnson Is Dead

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Movie Info

Synopsis A filmmaker and her elderly father stage his death in various ways to help them face his inevitable demise.
Director
Kirsten Johnson
Producer
Katy Chevigny, Kirsten Johnson, Marilyn Ness
Screenwriter
Nels Bangerter, Kirsten Johnson
Production Co
Big Mouth Productions, Netflix
Rating
PG-13 (Macabre Images|Thematic Elements)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 2, 2020
Runtime
1h 29m
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