I Love Dick (2016–2017) User Reviews (67)

Meh.. Could've been better.

[sanjin_9632 · 6/10 · 13 May 2017]

I'm not a big fan of Jill Soloway's work. I don't get the fascination and hype surrounding the success of *Transparent*. That show is horribly overrated. Not funny at all. It only serves one purpose - promoting tolerance and pushing a certain agenda, which is fine, but there's a lot missing. Good writing for one. It's the same with most of Solloway's work. To me, it falls short most of the time. I Love Dick is pretty much the same. It's defined as a comedy, but it's not funny at all. Not even in the intellectual sense. Seems more like a character study. In one scene, Dunne's character says: *What the hell is wrong with these women?* That kinda sums it up.

I watched the pilot like a year ago (AmazonPilotSeason) and it was the only pilot that didn't suck. Obviously, not-sucking is not the same as being great, but back then it seemed to me that this had some potential. After reading a little bit about the author of the novel this is based on, Chris Krauss (played by Kathryn Hahn), I learned that the Dick character is actually a real-life person, a sociologist (Dick Hebdige). incidentally, not much older than Kevin Bacon. Also, Kevin Bacon is 58 years old. Who knew?

I do like Kathryn Hahn in most of her roles, but in this she's playing an overly dramatic, at times unnecessarily psychotic character, obsessing about almost everything, not only Bacon's character, which I don't quite like. Normally, she does this by adding a comedic component to the role. Not here. The main character seems profoundly unhappy with her marriage, profession, life in general. Her obsession with Dick seems arbitrary. If Dick weren't there, fueled by her anger and dissatisfaction for herself, she'd find something or someone else to freak out about. The use of the opposite or same sex as a source for inspiration for different kinds of expression, artful or otherwise, is a factor in this. In my opinion, a rather boring topic. Overdiscussed and redundant in western civilization.

One review here described the characters as being unpleasant. Accurate. I'd even go as far as calling them uninteresting, broken and lost. Also, if this is about feminism, it's more of a step back than forward. Imo, feminism, as a political and social movement has gone off the rails, which isn't surprising, since most ideologies, systems and everything man (or woman) creates may seem great and perfect at first (or in theory), but eventually leads to overuse and counterproductive extremes.

To sum it up: Not a comedy. A couple of nice points and moments, but ultimately not that interesting. 5.7/10

Weird, Outlandish and Wacky

[nowego · 7/10 · 13 May 2017]

This review is based on the whole series, not just the pilot as so many of the other reviews are.

Get past the Pilot, it is probably the worst episode of the series and it will put a lot of people off.

If you can get past the Pilot, be prepared for a weird and wacky ride, it takes a bit of watching, but each episode is less than 30 minutes and I think it was worth it.

The important characters, and there is more than one or three like the inaccurate plot points out, are reasonably well fleshed out and each has a story.

Let me just say this is not a story about a man and a woman falling in love with the same man and leave it there. Work it out for yourself.

There is lots of full frontal nudity, both male and female, but it is not over the top in my opinion and fits with the story.

Some would say the series is very artsy, but I found it not so. It was just a story about people.

I liked it and recommend it.

7/10

Broken Right Out of the Starting Gate

[leftbanker-1 · 5/10 · 26 August 2016]

Annoying people in awkward situations with humor that is as dumb as it gets…and they are all supposed to be smart. Kevin Bacon is good to great as usual but he isn't enough to fill in all of the deep holes in this script. There is a point when the couple is having dinner at a restaurant with the writing mentor and he asks her what her film is about. She hobbles through a completely terrible synopsis like a kid faking her way through a book report after not bothering to read the book. And then she is unable to defend herself when he picks on her and women film makers.

They really don't achieve much in the first episode and certainly not enough to propel this forward, maybe that comes in episode 2. They sure wasted a lot of time in such a short period of time which means that they wasted my time. I wouldn't make that mistake twice. If you have a story to tell then get on with it.

Goofs? In the car he says, "You when we get to Tennessee I want to go to Dollywood." They are obviously already in Texas as is evident by the flora seen outside the window. Not a big deal but a little careless and it wasn't even a good enough gag to make it worth working into the story.

I don't think that they released a second episode so I guess I was right. I'm sure that Kevin Bacon will land on his feet. He always does.

So great!

[lmerry1 · 20 June 2017]

First, if you're having a hard time getting into the series watch the director's summary. In just 6min I had much more sense of what they were going for.

Second, even if you're not particularly interested in feminism or art, this series is very entertaining. Kathryn Hahn, especially, is fascinating to follow through her journey of changes. And Kevin Bacon is more interesting, vulnerable, and funny to watch than ever before. Just a fantastic set of actors throughout this series.

Finally, the show tells a simple story that brings up a ton of complex issues. It is a pro- woman meditation on marriage, art, feminism, gender, and becoming your next self.

I sure hope we get a second season with all these people!!!!

Just a cotton-pickin' minute

[bkroberts-51683 · 7/10 · 15 February 2021]

I love Kathryn Hahn. I love Kevin Bacon. I have been to Marfa. Nice people tolerating artists. Artists laughing at locals behind their backs. But here's my point: authenticity in the portrayal of Texans and Texas is something Hollywood will never get. In the scene in Man City where Ms. Willis removes her clothes- the Texas flag is upside down. White bar on top. Okay, I'm done here.

Really got into it - surprised by bad reviews!

[noracjacobsen · 9/10 · 23 July 2017]

I didn't look at the reviews before watching the show, because I'd heard an interview on it on the radio and really liked the concept. I haven't read the book yet, so I can make no comparison there.

It took me a couple of episodes but then I was really hooked. It's off beat and unusual -- the protagonist is for the most part unlikeable, but that's part of the point I think. Her awkwardness and self-involvement are cringeworthy, but you can't help but see yourself reflected, at least in small percentages, in her. It's an interesting exploration of various female voices, of the women that surround Dick with Dick as an object and and very rarely a subject in the series, taking instead the women to always embody the role of the subjects rather than the men (turning the television /film industry on its head).

One post here wrote "feminism gone awry," but I completely disagree. I loved for instance that they show the viewer various works by female artists throughout the series, in a way that's seamless, thoughtful, and stimulating. I didn't feel that this show was overly political or something like that -- it doesn't have an agenda, but is itself an expression of various crises, struggles, small triumphs and losses, of identity and relationships, growth and personhood, marriage and single- ness (and the bounds of each) with the female perspective at the center of these queries. It doesn't fit in the normal bounds of genre - it's darkly funny, but you'll probably never laugh out loud. Nor is it plot driven. It's it's own thing, but at no point did I find it boring.

The show is interesting and different and genuinely held my attention. And I thought the acting was superb, from all involved and particularly from Kathryn Hahn (not only Kevin Bacon!). It's bizarre and kind of wonderful and I'd be excited for a second season.

Interesting but kinda fizzled

[mystee_reyne · 6/10 · 17 June 2021]

This show was very interesting with quite a few interesting characters. I enjoyed watching, but kinda felt like it went nowhere. Anticlimactic, no resolution regarding all this Dick tension. Does her obsession subside or does it continue? I loved the scene with Kevin Bacon walking shirtless with a lamb around his neck. Priceless! LMAO.

I Love Dick starting with its wink-wink title, rubs its fingers together in your face.

[mpower1112 · 3/10 · 1 June 2017]

I didn't much care for I Love Dick. Great writing, superb photography, tour-de-force acting - what's not to like? For one thing I couldn't stand the husband and wife - I shudder to imagine that at my next art event I might find myself sitting next to that duo at dinner. I'm sorry, you have to have some empathy for the main characters even if they are diabolically evil. We loved Tony Soprano; we loved the Chicken Man in Breaking Bad. I also thought Kevin Bacon was miscast. He was the opposite of charismatic, and his love scenes seemed robotic instead of comedic.

But those are minor issues. What I viscerally disliked about I Love Dick was its snide cynicism. The creators not only know what buttons to push, they revel in their knowledge. Not only do they manipulate you they make sure you know you're being manipulated. Like Transparent which I also didn't like, they trot out every trendy social issue and eviscerate whatever's meaningful about those issues with their pandering. This kind of sour cynicism lurking beneath a bright veneer of virtuoso craft is the bane of many an American visual production. You notice it when you see a foreign film or video comparable in quality. Real values emerge; instead of cynicism you get sincerity and a passionate belief in the validity of what they are attempting. Last on their list is the potential audience, the numbers, or the box office and it shows. And that is also true of the very best American 'extended film' videos like The Wire, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, True Detective and Fargo. These series are cinematic art at its best. They say important things about the human condition. For all their surface brilliance I love Dick and Transparent are mostly concerned with profit and manipulation. I Love Dick starting with its wink-wink title, rubs its fingers together in your face.

Rough and Beautiful

[starsykaaaa · 10/10 · 21 June 2017]

This was an instant favorite of mine. It is well written, raw, gorgeous, melancholy, painful, ugly, and so unique. I was so happy to see that the rest of the season was finally released! Then was shocked to see the rating here. I don't think majority Americans appreciate truth or abstractions of things.

Loved the book. Liked the artistic scenes of the show

[negoycia · 7/10 · 13 October 2021]

I loved the book. There are quite good artistic scenes in the show... But plotwise is rather weak. Some of thr characters are just rather... Vain. There were 2 great episodes: 1. When women talked about why they loved Dick. 2. When Devon is imagining his play.a.

Unpleasant pilot about unpleasant people being unpleasant

[cherold · 4/10 · 13 January 2017]

Being a big fan of Jill Soloway's Tranparent, it seemed worthwhile to check out her failed pilot, I Love Dick. It was not worthwhile. At all.

In I Love Dick, a couple moves to a small town of writers headed over by Kevin Bacon as someone who is billed as cool and charismatic but who actually just seems like a pretentious jerk (charismatic jerks can also be found in Transparent - Soloway seems to be intrigued by them).

The wife becomes instantly fascinated by Bacon, even after he goes on a mansplaining rant denigrating everything she's ever done.

You can't feel sorry for her, because she's an awful person. As is her husband. Really, this is just a show about awful people. When midwest Republicans talk about New York liberal elites, I think they are imagining people like these horrible people.

Ugh.

Loved

[kflash1111 · 9/10 · 12 July 2017]

The only reason I give this 9 stars is because I wasn't quite compelled to watch the entire season in one sitting (was two episodes shy), but that doesn't take away from how much I loved it. Also, I haven't texted everyone I know about it, because it's not a series for everyone, which also puts it in the 9 stars category.

Until now I've been a lukewarm Kathryn Hahn fan, but she was great in this, and changed my opinion of her acting completely.

Ditto with Kevin Bacon. I never saw him as a sex symbol before (and I grew up during the Footloose era), but hot damn, he was smokin' in this.

This is a series for feminist womyn. I do believe plenty of men would like it, but I doubt your rough and tumble beer-swigging, crotch-scratchers would find one second of it interesting. It's full of liberal-minded characters, some who smoke pot, some who are lesbians, some who experienced same-sex sex in 70's drug-induced states.

Take-away: If you're a right-winged Republican Christian, take a pass. Everyone else with an open mind who enjoys artsy pieces with lots of sex and nudity, as well as dialog that makes you pause the show so you can absorb the multitude of "lightbulb moments" it triggers within your own life, I highly recommend it.

It's all about points.

[kersey74 · 7/10 · 27 July 2018]

This is not a review or opinion of a TV serie. I like so much I Love Dick but this is not important to me or anybody. I have generated the average score of the chapters and the final result is wrong, I think. I say that in this message because I don't know other way to comunicate the failure.

Thanks a lot,

Eduard.

Snoozer

[peterandpaulproductions · 1/10 · 14 May 2017]

Why is it that every writer thinks their lives are so compelling? In reality, they mostly hide behind their desks and computers dreaming of real stories. I Love Dick is a story about a couple of uber liberal writers from NY... should I go on? After seeing some of the positive reviews in different outlets I was going to really hang in there and give this one a go.. and maybe it picks up after two episodes, but I have better things to watch.. Good Luck.

Fantastic, creative, original!

[livingfortoday · 10/10 · 2 October 2016]

The reason for the low rating on this episode is the fact that a whole bunch of people are rating it "1" without even seeing it. It's pretty obvious when more people have voted 1 than any other category, and pretty common when it comes to innovative (read: provocative) works like this. I'm saying this because I want you to know that you should see this even though the rating is pretty bad/mediocre. Some people might not like the themes explored about women, sex, feminism, art and existential ideas. I do. But what I love about is the _way_ the episode explores these ideas, and the original approach to visual storytelling. It's something special. And it deserves to get made just based on originality and creative genius alone - even if you don't agree with the ideas presented or find them interesting. But if you do, you will love it and probably think it's one of the best single episodes you've ever seen.

Dull romantic novel setup

[sparkytx · 1/10 · 10 September 2016]

Two New Yorkers move to Texas and deal with culture shock.I had hoped to see a story about multiple points view. Unfortunately, the only point of view is from the woman who is an uninteresting artist who almost titters when she has to say the word. dick. In fact she has a whole conversation about the name Dick. The dick character played by Kevin Bacon is a flat macho female fantasy. She first see him riding in to town on a horse. No I am not kidding! There are obsessive shot of dick and especially his belt buckle as she waxes that life is meaningless without him. The final "turnon" for her is at dinner when she lets him characterize her as a woman director thus a failure. That drives her into the restroom waiting for Dick to show up and take her. He doesn't and she has to be satisfied with her naval gazing husband. It is hard to see how these characters develop since Dick describes himself as post idea. I.e. Nobody else has anything worth saying. Don't waste your time.

Recommend it to your Mama

[dear_prudence · 10/10 · 20 June 2017]

I loved this series. I loved it so much I watched it twice in a row so I could catch the little things I missed the first time around. Is it "arty"? Probably. Is it ready for large-scale, commercial consumption? Probably not, but oh, if it could just reach Gen-Xers, they would find it to be a fantastic, unflinching look through a female gaze in a way that matches an aesthetic they will recognize (and appreciate).

Great art allows participants to experience emotion within the (safe) confines of its boundaries. Sometimes narratives evoke emotion through exaggeration, and when we see unfamiliar perspectives this way, we sometimes find them uncanny, grotesque, or awkward because they are so new. I suspect this is why the "best" reviews for this series on IMDb are a series of "one" star tirades. I get it. Female desire is rarely given this kind of freedom to be explored. Films are directed by, what, 92% men in Hollywood? I'm not saying that men don't know or portray narratives about women authentically, but 8% is just not a big enough sampling to speculate about the spectrum of perspectives that might be missed. Luckily, Jill Soloway doesn't miss.

I have to admit that recommending this series is slightly hard to do linguistically. The announcement of the title is difficult to get out without a chuckle or an immediate explanation about how it is not pornography or a parody featuring lascivious babes who are trained to please voyeurs. The title tests us! We only accept female desire one way in pop culture. But I digress. I love Kathryn Hahn in this. She is hilarious and awkward and authentic. I love Griffin Dunne as Sylvere, and empathize with his horrors--adore him for his character's willingness to reevaluate what it means to *be* a muse. I loved Roberta Colindrez so much-- another artistic representation that truly broke free from its box. And Kevin Bacon is so wonderful--masculine and vulnerable and cruel and desirable.

The end is what makes this series so incredible. I know it will make a certain part of the population squirm, but I think mothers--the ones who work with the abject material of motherhood--will revel in Dick's conclusion. Gorgeous. A satisfying adventure to behold.

Worst of the 3

[xsdenied · 1/10 · 19 November 2016]

There are 3 shows that were being considered for getting full seasons: "I Love Dick", "The Tick" and "Jean-Claude Van Johnson". Out of the 3, this is the worst one. More than that, this is one of the worst show pilots that I have EVER seen.

The story begins in a strange place with strange people, that's fine. Although when you start to develop the characters of a show there has to be something to like about them, or something intriguing about them, or just something mysterious to make people want to watch more, "I Love Dick" has NONE of those things. Instead, the show goes on to drill your eardrums with the worst possible music accompaniment in a show ever, and chip away at any microscopic granule of interest that might be left. If that wasn't enough the first time, don't worry, because they use the same song throughout the whole pilot episode. The plot is flat, it has 0 entertainment value.

There is one positive thing about this pilot episode though, the suffering only lasts for 30 minutes.

Loved this One! Don't Miss It!

[jamesdtabor · 9/10 · 24 August 2016]

I can't believe all the people trashing this Pilot for the new series. We watched it last night and thought it was beyond excellent. The Acting was good, the filming and technique superb, and the quick back and forth dialogue and interplay with characters was first rate. I love the motif of the letter, playing itself out through the whole. Everyone of the characters so far introduced is begging to be unfolded, much less the story itself. If anyone is on the fence because of the reviews, please give it a chance. Quite a few of our friends, whose taste is superb, have loved it too. We are all different in our tastes but this one deserves a chance. I really hope it becomes a series.

Terrible show

[beauty_model · 1/10 · 17 May 2017]

Terrible show is terrible. Someone is making me watch this show. This show is as awful as I thought it would be. Boring, distracted, frantic, boring, boring, old people, boring, dull, sucks so much. Can not believe that anyone with a modicum of taste would enjoy this awful tripe. Drab terrible boring show. Wait, oh its still on the screen. And ONE is required to write enough here to take up a minimum amount of space. Why the screen stop moving. Oh right they're being artsy here. Stop the moment as it were. I must still must be young and a have a pulse because I feel like it something old people would enjoy. Old people who are smug and boring and enjoy terrible, boring pieces of garbage to watch.

A boring story that does not connect with viewers

[Gordon-11 · 28 August 2016]

This film tells the story of a married woman who goes with her husband to a small town for an artistic conference. They have troubles in their marriage, and the cracks widen as she meets a charismatic man in the conference.

There must be something seriously missing in the "I Love Dick" that I watched. The 32 minutes of footage does not show what the plot summary says - I did not get how "both" of them fall for the same professor. I only see how she falls for him, and there is no second person falling for the professor. Either way, the story is not so interesting. It is more like a housewife fantasy, only that it is boring and fails to connect with viewers. The only good scenes are Kevin Bacon's flirtatious gazes at the camera, and the final scene which looks rather artistic. However, these fleeting scenes are not enough to make me interested in this film, or the potential future series.

Not for those easily offended

[rowlandsonanouk · 10/10 · 27 August 2018]

The unconventionality of this program is what makes it for me. I think it would be difficult to compare this to much else and I really disagree with a lot of the negative reviews here.

I think one reason people are criticising this Is because they don't understand that the characters are all meant to be unlikable. So those saying that the female lead is "arrogant" and that they felt like cringing are right in a way. I personally think you're meant to find elements of this show uncomfortable and relate to the unlikeable elements of the characters personalities.

I don't agree with the bad reviews about poor writing and music choices. I think both were perfect for this.

Although I loved this show I'm glad there wasn't a second season, it's rounded off perfectly.

Dick Sucks!

[ahoricesesdyk · 1/10 · 28 May 2017]

I admit, I'm writing this after watching 17:30 of the first episode. It is highly unlikely I will ever see more.

Seventeen minutes and thirty seconds should be enough to introduce at least one tolerable character, but Dick flopped on that one. After this long, I've seen maybe the best collection of unlikable characters I ever encountered, and Kathryn Whateverhernameis takes the cake in the annoying category. Whatever she was trying is a monumental fail. If you and someone like this character were in the same restaurant, you'd leave hungry rather than listen to her. You might even move out of town, it's that bad. Her husband is the most stereotypical, annoying New Yorker the Amazon writers could come up with, and then there's the earthy redhead with armpit hair who lives in the artists' colony and talks about her trip to Fiji. Ugh! Yeah, I decided while writing this that I'm done with Dick for good. I've had all I can take. Another Amazon stinker goes in the Prime toilet, partially watched and then despised forever. On to the next piece of garbage they release.

Great writing and acting!

[jimkientzler · 10/10 · 2 September 2016]

Overall, an enjoyable experience commendable to those who are open to a more artistic and thoughtful type of entertainment.

It is nice to see that Amazon is investing in such sophisticated material. There is a subtle humour in it, almost on a Saul Bellow level. The protagonist "Chris" played by Kathryn Hahn seems to be experiencing a midlife crisis. Her inner turmoil is caused by the conflict between her bloated self-image and her realization that she might never be able live up to her high expectations.

And then there is "Dick" the professor played by Kevin Bacon. She projects all her aspirations onto his masculine attractiveness, which make him absolutely irresistible.

The film induces a somewhat reflective mood. At the same time it is full of vivid expression and wit. The sensuality adds the tension that makes you want to continue watching.

A case in point re what truly awful writing can do to a great idea

[whatithinkis · 1/10 · 22 August 2016]

Breaks my heart to see such a low rating when I see the structure and potential of this little 'coulda-been-somebody.' It's an amazing example of what truly awful writing can do to a great idea. Marfa . . . yay . . . WHAT a good idea. All the posturing in the context of rattlesnakes, trailers, scorpions and trash . . . YES! If ONLY the party dialogue had been written with some perspicacity, originality, verve. Kevin's was good, but Kevin can make anything look good. Never, until this, fully appreciated that fact. Every scene he's in here comes alive. He and Griffin Dunne are the only ones who seemed to remember how to do it. Act.

You couldn't go more wrong than Kathryn Hahn for her part. WOW is she wrong and, then so over the top with her wrongness. Brash and heavy and just plain galumphing ugly. Bad timing. Bad lines, but that's not her fault. Who thought she made ANY sense in that part?

Roberta Colindrez an androgynous zing for the eye. And then nothing. No skills.

Besides Kevin, the only interesting thing was the grave.

I didn't feel I'd wasted my time, however, if only for the stunning beauty of the last scene . . . sigh . . . all of it.

I wish somebody would fix this little gem. It could be SO MUCH FUN. I Love Dick.

And it went to Series and was just plain horrible. So I stand by all of the above. Too bad.