Thanks for checking out my review in a feature I like to call Forgotten Gems.
Today I was reminiscing about 80s films, especially those that have the “changing body” type theme. Freaky Friday and all its various takes. But then I got talking about my favourite bodyswap movie because it didn’t fit the same formula, but still fit the genre. Dream a Little Dream.
THE GENERAL IDEA
Dream a Little Dream was in the glory days of the Two Coreys. Corey Haim, and Corey Feldman – for those of you who are under 20 or don’t watch reality TV. Haim really only offered up a supporting role in this movie, as it was at its core a Feldman film. The story goes a little like this:
Old man and woman live near a highschool where rebellious teens tramp through their yard every day. Old man, Coleman and his wife are still caught in the romance of their latter years and very much in giddy love with one another. Well Coleman has some crazy ideas about entering the dream world in a conscious state to really investigate what dreams really are. He does a Tai-Chi meditation in hopes of mentally crossing over to take a look. One night while in his yard performing the meditation with his reluctant wife, two teens hastily take the short cut and collide. In the wake of the collision, the old couple are gone and the teens remain.
So here is the twist. Coleman is in Bobby’s (Feldman) body stumbling through the troubled teen’s life. And his wife Gina, is trapped in the body of Lainie, the girl Bobby is crushing on. They don’t swap. The old couple simply disappear. Coleman fully takes over Bobby’s body and has to find Gina, who is only hinting on the surface of Lainie who is still the same person. She is trapped in Lainie too, but she isn’t in control of Lainie’s body.
THE GOOD STUFF
Oh the 80s Cheese is on at just the right level of thick. The fashions are there, the rebellious youth hipsters. The really really hot love interest, Lainie who “looks great in a leotard” (line from the movie) as well as all the sterotypes of highschool personalities. Its not over the top like a Saved by the Bell sitcom camp. It was very accurate to my high school years. They didn’t over do it. It might not hold up to today’s “cool” but it was cool back then, and it works really well.
The movie is laid out with a mystery about the mysticism. Its never fully explained, and it doesn’t have to be. So often now people want everything spelled out for them and its just not really required. This is a fine example of when the unreal element “just happens” and they focus on the characters of the story.
There is an inevitable “we learned something about each other” sort of respect the characters gain, but in this instance it was more of a “I learned something about myself”. The story is about the adult. The kids are just kids until the adults get into them.
And the soundtrack. This has to be my favourite movie soundtrack EVER. I list that against a lot of soundtracks, but this falls in that category of a soundtrack made up of a compilation of singles, like the best mixed tape ever. The songs all fit the story and mood and blend a great play list from Van Morrison and Otis Redding to REM and and Timbuk3.
Did I also mention that Lainie is incredibly hot? What would an 80s film be without its attractive love interest. She’s minor despite being core to the plot, but she does her job well.
THE BAD STUFF
It is played off as cheesy 80s just ready to burst into some full on embarrassing 90s. And its Feldman. Sadly anything with Feldman in it has to be viewed with your brain shut off around 1991. Anything after that just taints his work as you cant see anything but Feldman in his roles. I loved a lot of films with him in it that I just roll my eyes and say “what was I thinking” but I have come to discover that he did a lot of fun movies, and I have to stop judging those movies based on the off screen Feldman now. Sometimes I find it a bit distracting to have to mentally prepare to enjoy his work, but it can be enjoyed.
The cinematography is different than what we are used to. Pointless 3 second transition scenes showing Lainie dancing in tights fit the genre, and it might be a little too dated to find Feldman and his cohorts as “cool” so it can be a tough pill to swallow. It really takes a certain appreciation of the era to grasp it. My wife was watching it with me and just couldn’t get into it.
OVERALL
A great little movie that plays the bodyswap card differently than you might be used to. Its a cool story littered with great late 80s popculture and an awesome soundtrack spanning multiple eras. Everything in it works, and in the end you are satisfied with the story. Its a feelgood movie without all the glitter and trimph. It ends with life carrying on and everyone better for it.
The sequel is weak, and plays on what made the first good and fails. Consider this movie a one off. It is complete on its own.
Typically this is where John or Doug would write a “Out of 10″ rating, but since all of these Forgotten Gems are going to be what I would rate a 8, 9 or 10, I have made my own rating system.
TV – Make a point of watching it if you see it listed on TV.
Rent – Good enough to go out of your way to see it, but not enough to buy it.
Buy – So good. You will watch it again and again. Buy it!
So on a scale of TV, Rent or Buy I suggest TV!
If it is on, watch it. You likely won’t be disappointed. I was going to suggest renting it, but you might want to file it on the upper side of watching it on TV and if the rental place is out of EVERYTHING you wanted to pick up and you find yourself wandering the older titles, grab it.
I bought it, but it has a special place for me. I thought I would leave you with this scene as Feldman catches up with Lainie staying behind after a dance class and using the music to try and charm her into paying attention to him. Yeah, its got cheese in artery clogging heaps, but its fun.
