The_Film_Cricket
As far as I know, 'Dream a Little Dream' was the last gasp to try and breath life into the ' body switch comedies', you know, those movies where a kid and an adult switch minds and one gets to be the other and suffer their inane problems. Sometimes it works, I liked that old Disney comedy 'Freaky Friday' with Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris and I liked Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage in 'Vice Versa'. On the other end of the spectrum is this insufferable mess which I feel at a loss to explain but here goes: Jason Robards plays a nice old man whose only gripe is that kids keep trespassing through his yard. He and his wife (Piper Laurie) have a theory that one can transfer his or her mind into someone else and live in their body. On his lawn while trying out his experiment he is hit by a bicycle driven by Bobby Keller (Corey Feldman) and the obvious happens. Feldman spends the rest of the movie as Robards and vice versa.The problem is that not for one second can you believe that Robards is occupying his body. He walks like Corey Feldman, talks like Corey Feldman so the effect is lost on us. I had a hard time trying to notice because I couldn't stop looking at Feldman's outfit which look as if he's late for band practice or Michael Jackson dress up day.As for Robards wife, the movie wastes a lot of time and half-baked theology on how her mind has drifted off and is in danger of falling into the Q collective or some such. The movie halfway explains that idea only to pull the rug out from under it and explains that it was all a joke so that the screenwriter won't have to think of a way to get her back.'Dream a Little Dream' drums up a lot of impossibly complicated ideas but is too lazy a movie to work them out. When the screenplay gets too complicated, the soundtrack starts booming some irritating rock song to pad the rest of the scene. And just to show you how desperate the Direct-to-Video market is: There's a sequel.
Jordan Barrett
I really really like this movie. The plot is a really simple story that anyone can learn from. It basically is don't take what you have for granted as you may lose it all and could be unable to get it back. All the way through out the movie you are wondering if the old man and his wife's life is ever going to get back to normal. This movie has drama, romance and comedy in the former of my favorite character Dinger. I also really like the two Corey's but Corey Haim is the better of the two in my opinion but Corey Feildman did a really good job at acting in this movie. This movie is really good and has a plot that anyone can relate to. If you haven't seen this movie please please check it out because if you haven't you are missing out.
Steve Pulaski
Dream a Little Dream's trailer is the most false advertised trailer I've ever seen. It states the film is about a teenager named Bobby who is a slacker in high school, and must win the girl of his dreams in three days. Okay, don't really understand it too much, but I'll let it fly. The back of the DVD doesn't do too much justice either. It has the character Dinger (Haim) state some things about Bobby and explain his personality in a bias way, and he says he will be "sticking around to see what happens". I will be too.Unlike the advertising on the box and the trailer, DALD is about another "body and mind swap" type of films that Hollywood did away with in the eighties. Vice Versa and Like Father, Like Son would be dubbed as "cult classics" in the 2000 decade. The film probably scrapped trying to explain it in the title because they knew the consumers had enough with being alienated with these movies that were already confusing enough. Dream a Little Dream doesn't help in being a confusion lacking film.The plot: Bobby is a teenager who's grades are awful, and his best friend Dinger tries to get Bobby on the right track but it doesn't seem to help much. Bobby, Dinger, and a group of friends always use a shortcut found in a Coleman (Robards), a grumpy old man's, well kept yard. Obviously, like any other grumpy old man, this one does not approve of the teen's careless disrespect for his property. One night, Bobby is racing through the yard of the old man to try and get home when he collides with Lanie (Salenger), his friend's girlfriend, in their yard while Coleman and his wife Gena are meditating.In the blink of an eye Coleman is in Bobby's body, and Laurie is unknowingly Gena. What a paradox! The Laurie is Gena part is pretty much left for the audience to assume. The film doesn't even give you a hint. It's a disorganized mess that almost forgets to explain what's going on. The cast might know what's happening, but I, myself, as an audience member is expecting to have this somewhat explained to me.The two things that rescue this movie before it hits the bottom of the barrel are; it's rocking soundtrack and the fact it's a buddy movie with Haim/Feldman. The movie blasts R.E.M. and the song Dream a Little Dream of Me at random, but satisfying times. Sometimes the music gets a little abrupt and annoying, but there's a volume meter that can be controlled. There are not a lot of good H/F movies out there. They did around seven, The Lost Boys is pretty good (not great), License to Drive is great, Busted sucked, Last Resort was forgettable and a little immature, Blown Away wasn't that great of a film, but it was entertaining as hell, and Dream a Little Dream goes down as a so-so, could've been better film like Last Resort. I have yet to watch the sequel to this film as well.Dream a Little Dream is far from fantastic, but it's acceptable. It isn't as bad as some make it out to be. The first half hour I was completely lost. I thought this film would be absolutely horrible, but as the film went on I felt more connected to these characters and was rooting for Feldman by the end of the movie. It's not the worst H/F movie out there, but it doesn't compare to the classic that is License to Drive.I've been searching high and low, trying to find a Comedy CH/CF film that compared in quality to License to Drive. I've dug through pretty much the whole pile and the only one that I haven't watch yet is the sequel to this. Could this be the one film that surpasses LtD in humor, quality, and amusement. Judging from the IMDb rating of 3.2, and the people I talk to telling me it's awful, I doubt it.Starring: Jason Robards, Corey Feldman, Piper Laurie, Meredith Salenger, Harry Dean Stanton, and Corey Haim. Directed by: Marc Rocco.
neonmaniacs
80's teenage comedies come a dime a dozen, but while watching 'Dream A Little Dream' you'll realise it really stands out compared to many of the others.Written, directed and produced by Marc Rocco, who also wrote psychological thriller 'The Jacket', Dream A Little Dream takes the teen comedy genre and adds a fantasy body-swapping twist to it. But despite the fantasy theme of the film it still comes across sincere and slightly nostalgic.Once again the two Coreys team up together, this time with Corey Feldman taking the lead role as hopeless in love Bobby, but its Corey Haim who steals the show with a fantastic performance as hapless best friend Dinger.There are great supporting roles from legends Piper Laurie and Jason Robards and once again a tremendous performance from the always wonderful Harry Dean Stanton.One weak point in the cast comes from the lead love interest played by pretty faced Meredith Salanger who doesn't seem to fit the mood of the film.There is a strange atmosphere during the film which is helped along by the soundtrack, Van Morrisons classic "Into The Mystic" seems especially fitting to the movie.So give Dream A Little Dream a watch, and like it or not I'm sure you'll agree that it's got something a little bit different.
