There was nothing good on TV and we still had some time before we received our next DVD from Netflix so, a couple days ago, my wife and I surfed through the movies that were available via Netflix’s instant streaming service in search of something we would both enjoy.
I had something else in mind, but when my wife saw the 1989 movie Dream a Little Dream, she mentioned she loved that film and, since I really wasn’t committed to my first choice, I decided to watch it with her.
The movie is one of those films from the 80s that had the two “Coreys” in it (Corey Feldman and Corey Haim) and, because of that; I figured it would be one of those teenage chick flicks that I hate. However, the movie really surprised me.
Feldman plays Bobby, a high school misfit who is in love with his friend’s girlfriend Lainie (Meredith Salenger) but is too afraid to do anything about it. However, due to a freak accident involving a collision him and Lainie at the exact same time the elderly Coleman (Jason Robards) is performing a meditation experiment with his wife, Bobby ends up being transported to Coleman’s dreams while Coleman ends up in his body and living his life.
At first, I figured this movie would be very similar to 18 Again or Freaky Friday. But, that wasn’t the case. In addition to having to pass as a teenager, Coleman has to figure out how to reunite with his wife, who is trapped partly in Lainie and in the same dream world as Bobby (who refuses to help him because he is happy there). So, basically, there are two love stories, Bobby and Lainie and Coleman and his wife, that are intertwined.
That twist did make the movie much more interesting, especially since Lainie didn’t know she was possessed. It made the film a bit more complex than your average teen romance movie and this was something that made me enjoy it as much as my wife did.
I also have to say the music was fantastic. I still have some of the songs stuck in my head and might even try to track down the soundtrack.
My only real complaint about the film is Haim. While I understand why he was cast with Feldman, his character, Dinger, was somewhat irritating and really didn’t have enough of a role to justify him getting top billing. In fact, the writers could have eliminated his character all together and he wouldn’t have been missed.
However, despite this not really being the type of movie I would normally watch, I am glad I took the time to see it. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it is a film I would definitely recommend watching with your sweetheart.
My Grade: 4 stars out of a possible 5.