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IMDbPro

Dick Johnson Is Dead

  • 20202020
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
6.5K
YOUR RATING
Dick Johnson in Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)
A lifetime of making documentaries has convinced award-winning filmmaker Kirsten Johnson of the power of the real. But now she’s ready to use every escapist movie-making trick in the book - staging inventive and fantastical ways for her 86-year-old psychiatrist father to die while hoping that cinema might help her bend time, laugh at pain and keep her father alive forever. The darkly funny and wildly imaginative DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD is a love letter from a daughter to a father, creatively blending fact and fiction to create a celebratory exploration of how movies give us the tools to grapple with life’s profundity. DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD was filmed, produced and directed by Kirsten Johnson (Cameraperson), produced by Katy Chevigny and Marilyn Ness, co-produced by Maureen A. Ryan and executive produced by Megan Ellison.
Play trailer1:48
2 Videos
18 Photos
  • Documentary
  • Biography
  • Drama
A daughter helps her father prepare for the end of his life.A daughter helps her father prepare for the end of his life.A daughter helps her father prepare for the end of his life.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
6.5K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Kirsten Johnson
  • Writers
    • Nels Bangerter
    • Kirsten Johnson
  • Stars
    • Michael Hilow
    • Ana Hoffman
    • Dick Johnson
Top credits
  • Director
    • Kirsten Johnson
  • Writers
    • Nels Bangerter
    • Kirsten Johnson
  • Stars
    • Michael Hilow
    • Ana Hoffman
    • Dick Johnson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 31User reviews
    • 62Critic reviews
    • 89Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 19 wins & 43 nominations total

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:48
    Official Trailer
    Dick Johnson Is Dead
    Trailer 1:50
    Dick Johnson Is Dead

    Photos18

    Kirsten Johnson at an event for Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)
    Kirsten Johnson at an event for Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)
    Dick Johnson in Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)
    Dick Johnson in Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)
    Dick Johnson in Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)
    Dick Johnson in Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)
    Dick Johnson in Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)
    Kirsten Johnson and Dick Johnson in Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)
    Dick Johnson in Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)
    Dick Johnson in Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)
    Dick Johnson in Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)
    Dick Johnson in Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Michael Hilow
    Michael Hilow
    • Consultantas Consultant
    Ana Hoffman
    Ana Hoffman
    • Backup Singeras Backup Singer
    Dick Johnson
    Dick Johnson
    • Selfas Self
    Kirsten Johnson
    Kirsten Johnson
    • Selfas Self
    Chad Knorr
    Chad Knorr
    • Construction workeras Construction worker
    Kevin Loreque
    Kevin Loreque
    • Buster Keatonas Buster Keaton
    Vasthy Mompoint
    Vasthy Mompoint
    • Backup Singeras Backup Singer
    Mary Page Nance
    Mary Page Nance
    • Katie Joas Katie Jo
    Ira Sachs
    Ira Sachs
    • Selfas Self
    Nicole Tio
    Nicole Tio
    • Backup Singeras Backup Singer
    • Director
      • Kirsten Johnson
    • Writers
      • Nels Bangerter
      • Kirsten Johnson
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

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    6.8
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    Crip Camp
    7.7
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    8.1
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    Cameraperson
    7.4
    Cameraperson
    Bendeyar
    2.9
    Bendeyar
    Deadline
    7.5
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    Boys State
    7.6
    Boys State
    Never Rarely Sometimes Always
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    7.2
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    The Mole Agent
    7.5
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    The Above
    7.2
    The Above

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When Kirsten Johnson pitched the idea to her father, she asked him, "Dad, what if we make a movie where we kill you over and over again until you really die? And he laughed".
    • Connections
      Features Nova: Day the Dinosaurs Died (2017)
    • Soundtracks
      Gloria in Excelsis Deo
      Written by Antonio Vivaldi (as Antonio Lucio Vivaldi)

      Arranged by Andrea Montepaone

      Courtesy of Spirit Production Music

    User reviews31

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Highly original, heart-warming
    I rated this an 8 because, while it's not the world's best documentary, it is completely original, and thought-provoking despite its seeming simplicity. You'll fall in love with Dick Johnson as soon as you meet him, with his childlike, wide-open smile and merry eyes. That love only deepens throughout this funny and awe-inspiring film (for me, especially in the sneak-peeks into the filmmaking process, including the practice of various stuntmen hired to simulate Dick's deaths). The use of color is also highly entertaining, and the voice-over narration by the filmmaker (Dick's daughter) is concise and intelligent without being condescending to the viewer or mawkish about her dread of her father's decline and eventual demise. This film asks viewers how we'll all cope with the passing of a beloved parent, and prepare for our own unknown end.
    helpful•5
    0
    • TheReelMovieMaven
    • Apr 22, 2021

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 2, 2020 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Dick Johnson Đã Chết
    • Filming locations
      • Seattle, Washington, USA
    • Production company
      • Big Mouth Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 29 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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