Character Relationship Map: Dick

Characters

• Betsy Jobs (played by Kirsten Dunst) — protagonist

  Betsy is a wealthy Georgetown teenager whose nighttime attempt to mail a contest entry with Arlene accidentally exposes the Watergate break-in. Appointed as a presidential dogwalker, she unknowingly a...

• Arlene Lorenzo (played by Michelle Williams) — protagonist

  Arlene is a sweet-natured fifteen-year-old who lives with her widowed mother in the Watergate building. Her escape with Betsy triggers the break-in discovery, and her brief infatuation with Nixon ends...

• Bob Woodward (played by Will Ferrell) — supporting

  Bob Woodward is a Washington Post reporter who, together with Carl Bernstein, receives information from Betsy and Arlene about the Watergate scandal. Although the reporters initially doubt the teenage...

• Henry Kissinger (played by Saul Rubinek) — supporting

  Kissinger is identified as one of the key figures in the Nixon administration whom Betsy and Arlene come to know during their repeated White House visits. The girls' accidental influence on major fore...

• Carl Bernstein (played by Bruce McCulloch) — supporting

  Carl Bernstein is a Washington Post reporter and Woodward's partner in investigating the Watergate scandal. He initially treats Betsy and Arlene skeptically because they are teenagers, but accepts the...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Bob Woodward → Carl Bernstein (Professional Reporting Partner) — They function as a joint investigative reporting team.

  The girls take their information to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein together, and the two reporters receive and use the transcription.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Arlene Lorenzo → Henry Kissinger (Social White House Acquaintance) — Arlene encounters Kissinger through the girls' White House access.

  The plot states that the girls become familiar with the administration's key players, including Henry Kissinger.

• Betsy Jobs → Henry Kissinger (Social White House Acquaintance) — Their access creates an unusual acquaintance with a senior official.

  The girls become familiar with key members of the administration, including Henry Kissinger, during their repeated White House visits.

• Arlene Lorenzo → Carl Bernstein (Narrative Informant) — Arlene becomes a direct source for Bernstein.

  Arlene joins the effort to tell Carl Bernstein what the girls have learned and helps provide the tape transcription.

• Betsy Jobs → Carl Bernstein (Narrative Informant) — Betsy contributes evidence to Bernstein's investigation.

  Betsy approaches Carl Bernstein with Arlene and later helps deliver the transcription of the crucial recording.

• Arlene Lorenzo → Bob Woodward (Narrative Informant) — Arlene supplies firsthand evidence to the reporter.

  Arlene joins Betsy in giving information to Bob Woodward about the Watergate scandal and later provides a transcription of a crucial tape.

• Betsy Jobs → Bob Woodward (Narrative Informant) — Betsy becomes a source for the investigation.

  Betsy helps reveal the administration's secrets to Bob Woodward after the girls decide to approach The Washington Post.

• Betsy Jobs → Arlene Lorenzo (Alliance Teammate) — They repeatedly cooperate as a joint investigative team.

  The two girls sneak out together, enter the Watergate garage together, and later act together against the administration.

Story Analysis

Two politically naïve teenagers accidentally uncover Watergate and become the unlikely sources who expose a presidential scandal.

Plot Progression

1. An Accidental Watergate Door — Betsy and Arlene sneak out to mail a contest letter and unintentionally expose the Watergate break-in. Their innocent mistake brings them to the attention of powerful officials.
2. Inside the White House — The girls are questioned during a school visit and are later made official dogwalkers. Their repeated access allows them to influence events without understanding the consequences.
3. Admiration Turns to Suspicion — The girls become familiar with administration figures and accidentally learn Watergate secrets. Arlene's romantic admiration collapses when a tape reveals the president's private brutality.
4. Teenage Informants — After being threatened, Betsy and Arlene approach Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Their evidence is initially weak, and the administration responds with surveillance and infiltration.
5. The Tape That Ends Power — Pursued to the limit, the girls steal a crucial recording and provide its transcription to the reporters. The disclosure ends the president's political career before the girls deliver a final insult.