Neal Justin: 'White House Plumbers' is the latest to mine comedy out of Watergate scandal

When Robert Redford pitched "All the President's Men," studios were skeptical. A film about journalists chipping away at President Richard Nixon's reputation through phone calls and legwork didn't sound like a box-office smash, especially when compared with a concept like a bum boxer getting a shot at the heavyweight title.

But "President's Men" ended up as the fifth-biggest box office hit of 1976. And while "Rocky," also released that year, went on to win the best picture Oscar, Redford's pet project would pick up four awards of its own and become a cinematic classic.

Hollywood is still churning out stories about Watergate, but often with a more comic eye than Redford could have foreseen.

"White House Plumbers," which debuts at 8 p.m. Monday on HBO, is the latest. The five-part miniseries offers a proper history lesson for the uninitiated, but its main goal is to expose the conspirators as clowns.

The plumpest targets are E. Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson) and G. Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux), Nixon loyalists thrown together to lead a behind-the-scenes campaign to embarrass George McGovern. The two have a bromance but they occasionally get on each other's nerves. Liddy likes to entertain dinner guests with Adolf Hitler speeches. Hunt wants to be accepted by the country club elite. But the two have one thing in common: a misguided belief that each of them is James Bond.

"Veep" veteran David Mandel directs the break-in scenes like he's making "Ocean's Eleven" with the Three Stooges.

Harrelson's Hunt has anger management issues. Imagine W.C. Fields after a toddler has knocked over his tumbler of whiskey. Theroux fills Liddy with hot air. He routinely shows off his ability to keep his hand over a candle flame but freaks out when he accidentally spills coffee on himself.

The most telling scene may be when the two playfully wrestle for a flight attendant's phone number; they're little boys who want nothing more than to be king of the hill.

It's not the first time Watergate has been the setting for absurdist humor on screen.

"Saturday Night Live" (1976-79): Dan Aykroyd played the ex-president 10 times, most notably in a bit in which his Nixon insists that the Oval Office recordings were actually material for a "party tape." That May 26, 1979, sketch was part of the Season 4 finale, which also included a Samurai appearance and Bette Midler's only "SNL" performance. It was the last episode in which Aykroyd and John Belushi appeared as cast members. Peacock

"Dick" (1999): Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams were still associated with teen fluff in the late '90s but this collaboration was early proof that they were ready for meatier roles. The pair play White House dogwalkers who stumble into the crisis after one of them develops a crush on Nixon (Dan Hedaya). The film is packed with kooky cameos, including Will Ferrell as a clueless Bob Woodward. Rent on demand

"Frost/Nixon" (2008): Ron Howard's film isn't as outrageous as other Watergate comedies but it has plenty of humorous moments, especially when interviewer David Frost (Michael Sheen) pulls out all the stops in trying to get Nixon (Frank Langella) to spill the beans. It's a battle of wits. Rent on demand

"Gaslit" (2022): I've raved about this miniseries in the past, but so few people watched it. But I have no hesitation about plugging it again. Sean Penn and Julia Roberts play the bickering John and Martha Mitchell, the latter reveling in the opportunity to bring down her attorney general hubby and the administration. Amazon Prime, Starz, Roku