That Guy Dick Miller (2015)
Matt Boiselle
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Starring Dick Miller, Lainie Miller, Roger Corman
Directed by Elijah Drenner
Chances are you’ve most likely seen him in at least one film that you’ve checked out over the course of your movie watching careers, whether it be a comedy, an old western, or right down to some modern horror. Regardless, I can guarantee that over that span, you’ve uttered those words that so many have uttered before you – “Hey, it’s that guy!”
“That guy” just happens to be one of the most successful and most recognizable (sometimes) character actors to ever set foot in front of a camera. His name is Dick Miller, and for the past six decades he’s compiled a work list that would make any prospective thespian drool with ravenous aspirations. Directed by Elijah Drenner, the documentary That Guy Dick Miller takes a candid look inside the journeyman’s world with a myriad of interviews from a who’s who in both the motion picture and television spectrums.
All you have to do is lay eyes upon the man’s resume and see just how this non-stop performer carved a very large notch in the pantheon of screen time: over 175 motion pictures and 2,000 different television appearances… My god, I know people that bitch and complain when they’re asked to work a couple hours of overtime! In any event, the film spins you back in time to Miller’s first gig of sizable proportion, when he left his beloved New York to head to sunny L.A. with dreams of becoming a screenwriter. After a chance encounter with legendary lensman Roger Corman, Miller was thrust into acting in a more (or less) prominent facet of casting, and looking back on some of the films and shows he’s performed in, you can always make out that face.
Now, while most fans of Miller’s work will probably best remember him from hits like The Terminator, Gremlins, and The Howling, I fully retained memory of his scenes in the Mark Hamill 1978 hot-rod cheese-fest Corvette Summer, where he played “Mr. Lucky, and from then on, it was literally every other film where I’d spot him and say those exact words, “It’s that guy!” The beautiful thing is, no matter whom you talk to after seeing this documentary, someone will have a different base of reference from their first look at Mr. Miller on-screen, and sitting through dozens of interviews with heavyweights abounding to reminisce about the man’s robust career, you’ll surely find your starting point as well. Whether it be that unlucky gun shop worker who got blasted by Schwarzenegger or Mr. Futterman, who spent his time grappling with those furry little midnight hellions, we all can take a minute to remember our first eye-load of Dick… Miller (come on, don’t get upset – this is a running gag used to help market the film).
While there may be some that will envelop themselves in the archived footage of Miller’s early work, others will fidget in their seats with the endless array of talk-time that plays out more like a remembrance of a man who’s left this earth (he’s alive and kicking, everyone), aside from a truly informational piece about an actor who broke his ass in the business and still couldn’t manage to snag that ever-elusive “leading man” tag, although I’m not quite sure he ever pursued or wanted it for that matter.
As the curtain draws to a close, I’d definitely recommend this to any fan of Miller’s work. Even if you think you’ve never seen him, I guarantee he was in something you checked out at one time or another. Absolutely worth a watch.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
