David Arquette makes awkward men worth worrying about. We rate the warmth and physical comedy that serve Dewey so well, though casting him only as the fool misses much of what makes him useful.
Fi1m perspective
Deputy Dewey struggles to be taken seriously in Scream (1996), and David Arquette makes that difficulty endearing. His physical comedy gives the policeman a vulnerability that matters once Wes Craven brings the danger close. We worried about Dewey because the awkwardness that made us laugh also made him seem ill-equipped for what he faced. Arquette helps keep the film's people worth caring about while Kevin Williamson's script explains how horror works, sometimes for longer than it needs to. Craven gets the balance right often enough for this to remain our starting point with Arquette.
The part was his breakthrough, but the films around it suggest more than a specialist in comic policemen. Johns (1996) offered an early independent dramatic role, while Never Been Kissed (1999) used his character comedy alongside Drew Barrymore. His work through the late 1990s and 2000s moved between mainstream comedy, independent films and horror. The comic-relief casting that followed Scream narrowed the opportunities to see anything beyond the goofiness. That is a frustrating use of an actor whose humour can make someone seem exposed rather than merely ridiculous.
Bone Tomahawk (2015), with Arquette in the supporting role of Purvis, is worth including without overstating the size of his contribution. Its patient western ensemble and dark humour are central to why we recommend it. The cast makes the horror matter, though the journey drags. It offers another setting for the ensemble work that suits him. The graphic violence is a substantial caveat, not a minor inconvenience.
The quality we rate is his ability to remain likeable without making the people he plays seem entirely predictable. Physical comedy can become a routine, and casting him as the fool asks too little of it. Craven gives it a better purpose in Scream, where laughter need not stop us fearing for someone. Start with Scream; Bone Tomahawk can wait until everyone on the sofa has agreed to the violence.
Biography
David Arquette is an American actor born on 8 September 1971 in Winchester, Virginia. A member of the Arquette acting family, he is the brother of actors Patricia, Rosanna and Alexis Arquette. He began his career in the early 1990s with television roles including Keith "Two-Bit" Matthews in the series The Outsiders (1990) and appearances in films such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992).
Arquette is best known for playing Deputy Dewey Riley in the Scream film franchise, beginning with the 1996 original directed by Wes Craven and reprising the role in subsequent entries including Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 4 (2011) and Scream (2022). Other film credits include Never Been Kissed (1999) and Bone Tomahawk (2015). He has also worked in television, including a role in Friends (1994).
