Film

Dave

Name: Dave
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1993
Cast: Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Frank Langella, Kevin Dunn, Ving Rhames

Dave is a big-hearted political fable: Kevin Kline plays both the genial lookalike and the real, ailing president he's hired to impersonate. It's Capra-corn with a modern sheen — funny, sentimental, gently satirical rather than savage. Ideal for anyone who wants Washington reimagined as a place decency could actually win, without cynicism getting in the way.

TMDb rating

6.6

If you liked this

The American President1995

Same warm, wisecracking optimism about a good man in the Oval Office, plus a genuinely charming Michael Douglas–Annette Bening romance running alongside the politics.

But It's talkier and more romance-focused than comedy, so if you wanted farce you'll find it a touch soft-edged.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington1939

The original template for Dave's whole idea — an unassuming nobody wanders into the halls of power and refuses to be corrupted. Jimmy Stewart's filibuster still lands.

But Black and white, 1939 pacing, and a sincerity so unguarded it can feel quaint to modern eyes.

Dick1999no page yet

Gleeful, silly Watergate farce where two teenage girls accidentally topple a president — same impersonation-and-secrets energy as Dave, but cranked up to sitcom absurdity.

But Broader and dumber by design; if you want Dave's earnestness this plays more like a spoof.

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Kagemusha1980

Both hinge on an ordinary man secretly standing in for a leader he isn't — Dave plays it for hope, Kagemusha for tragedy, but it's the same impersonation engine at the center of power.

Kurosawa's tale of a thief trained to impersonate a dying warlord to keep his enemies guessing turns Dave's cheerful premise into a meditation on power, grief, and how much of leadership is performance.

But It's a slow, formal historical epic with subtitles — nothing like Dave's brisk comic pace, and it ends nowhere near as happily.

Wag the Dog1997

A spin doctor and a Hollywood producer manufacture a war to distract from scandal — the flip side of Dave's fantasy, where the fakery is cynical instead of kind.

But Much darker and more paranoid; there's no warm fuzzy ending waiting for you here.

Moon Over Parador1988no page yet

An actor is drafted to impersonate a dead Latin American dictator — practically Dave's cousin, right down to the falling-for-the-First-Lady subplot.

But Less polished and less well-remembered; the jokes land softer than Kline's do.

Head of State2003no page yet

Chris Rock's underdog alderman gets thrust into a presidential run nobody expects him to win — same fish-out-of-water decency-in-politics engine, just louder and funkier.

But Broader stand-up-comedy energy throughout; less interested in subtlety than Dave is.

The Distinguished Gentleman1992no page yet

Eddie Murphy's con man rides a name into Congress planning to grift it, then discovers he might actually want to do some good — a mirror-image path to the same conclusion.

But Rougher edges and a more cynical setup before it warms up; patience required for the turn.

Bulworth1998no page yet

Warren Beatty's burnt-out senator has a late-campaign meltdown and starts telling the truth for once — a wilder, weirder cousin to Dave's decency fantasy.

But Its satire is loose, uneven and dated in places; tonally all over the map compared to Dave's neat comfort.

Parks and Recreation2009

If Dave's optimism about ordinary people doing right by government appealed to you, this sitcom bottles that same hopefulness into a small-town parks department, episode after episode.

But It's a multi-season sitcom commitment, not a single evening's dose — a very different shape of watch.

The War Room1993

Dave imagines handlers quietly steering a fake president; The War Room shows you handlers actually steering a real one, with the same mix of cynicism and genuine belief.

Made the same year as Dave, this fly-on-the-wall documentary follows James Carville and George Stephanopoulos actually running Bill Clinton's campaign — the real backstage machinery Dave only jokes about.

But No plot, no jokes written for you, no tidy resolution — just real strategists spinning real narrative in real time.

Idiocracy2006

Same core joke as Dave — an unqualified nobody ends up steering the nation — but swapped from earnest political comedy into blunt satirical sci-fi.

An ordinary, unremarkable man wakes up centuries in the future to find he's now the smartest person alive and drafted to run the country — Dave's fantasy of the accidental leader gone gloriously, stupidly dark.

But Crude, broad, and cynical where Dave is sweet — this treats government-by-accident as a punchline, not a hopeful miracle.