[1] Despite his clumsiness and initial lack of experience, Dewey demonstrates a genuine dedication to solving the murders that plague Woodsboro, often working side-by-side with love interest Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox).

In the film, he is a police officer and the older brother of Tatum Riley, the best friend of protagonist Sidney Prescott.

Following the murders of Steve Orth and Casey Becker, Dewey questions the students at Woodsboro High School to narrow down suspects.

After Sidney is attacked by Ghostface and calls the police, Dewey arrives with the other officers at her house and arrests Billy Loomis.

The two flirt before a loudspeaker announces that school is being closed due to the recent murders and attacks and that there is a 9 pm curfew set to begin in Woodsboro.

That night, Dewey drops Sidney and Tatum off at a house party thrown by Stu Macher and catches Gale and Kenny outside.

Now paralyzed in one leg due to a nerve severed when he was stabbed, Dewey has flown out to Windsor College, Ohio to keep an eye on Sidney.

When three murders occur – Phil Stevens, Maureen Evans, and Cici Cooper – Dewey, Gale, and Sidney meet with Police Chief Hartley and determine that this is a copycat killing of the 1996 Woodsboro massacre.

In a café, Randy Meeks breaks down the rules of horror sequels to Dewey and they then discuss the murders and potential suspects, both playfully accusing each other.

Gale finally wins Dewey back after expressing that she no longer cares about publicity and only wants to stop the murders.

Jennifer Jolie invites Dewey to hers, where she is sad about the deaths of Sarah Darling and Cotton Weary.

He tells them never to trust a love interest, that the killer always has a motive that is connected to the past, and to concentrate their search within Tara's friend group.

He follows Sam and Richie to Chad and Mindy's - nephew and niece of Randy Meeks - house, joined by the remainder of Tara's circle.

David Arquette also reprised his role as Dewey in Creed's What If music video performed for Scream 3.

In the original script for Scream, Dewey was planned to die in the film's climax, but a last-minute decision from director Wes Craven changed things, going back to film an ending where Dewey is shown giving a thumbs up when being lifted into the ambulance, in case test audiences reacted positively to the character.

[6] Scream 2 also featured an alternate ending where both Gale and Dewey are killed, this time by Cotton Weary, who had snapped in that moment.

[8] Dewey is known for his willingness to put his life on the line for others,[2] his loveable, dim-witted personality, and his near-death experiences.

Directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, and executive producer Chad Villella decided to ultimately kill him off for plot purposes, as it was the only way that the character Sidney would return to Woodsboro,[2] a way to deepen the film's impact,[2] and the team felt it was a necessary sacrifice for the franchise to move forward.

It was sad,"[11][12] he also commented that the decision "cut deep" as he had become attached to the character of Dewey through portraying him for over 25 years.

[9] The romance between Dewey and Gale Weathers is generally praised for the convincing chemistry between Arquette and Courteney Cox.

Neve Campbell, who played Sidney Prescott, admitted that she is unsure about the decision to kill Dewey's character, saying "I still question whether it was the right choice, because from what I'm hearing, there are a lot of fans who are really upset".

[25] Maddie Davis of CBR criticized the scene, writing, "While it's not impossible for a tiny woman to be a brutal slasher, it's not very likely".

[26] Dara Drapkin-Grossi of MovieWeb called the death scene "the stab felt round the world for horror fans".

[27] Hannah Wales of Digital Spy defended the decision to have a legacy character die, believing it helped to distinguish it from the previous sequels and that Dewey was the strongest pick of himself, Gale and Sidney, writing "It had to happen to legitimise the movie and prove that it's not a dumb and lazy repeat of the previous four" and that "Dewey's death might be painful for fans to witness, but it makes logical sense, honours his journey over the past 25 years and does the character justice".