Dreams are funny things, they are always right and they are always wrong . . .
In the dramatic thriller,
In Dreams, Claire Cooper (Annette Bening) has some sort of psychic link with Vivian Thompson (Robert Downey Jr.) - a psychopathic, child abducting murderer who has fixated on her. He contacts her through her dreams and whether she is asleep or awake, she cannot seem to get away from him.
Apparently Claire has always had funny dreams but recently she has begun dreaming about a child being held and murdered. What she originally thinks is a dream about a past murder turns out to be her worst nightmare come true as her very own daughter Rebecca (Katie Sagona) winds up at the bottom of a lake. The horrific realization that what she is being shown is actually of future events is only compounded when she dreams of her husband, Paul (Aidan Quinn) being eaten by their very own dog.
In a last ditch effort to save the child Ruby (Krystal Benn) that Vivian has held captive, Claire retraces the steps he took years earlier as he escaped the same institution she is currently being held in - escapes out of the very same room no less. She meets up with Vivian only to find that he has been searching for her his whole life to fill some kind of massive void left by his abusive mother.
The ending of this film didn't really make much sense to me - was Claire dead, was she alive? And honestly, the rest of the film didn't make much sense to me either. It had an interesting idea behind it, but the story just never really worked for me and neither did the characters. Claire always came off as much to wishy-washy and I never quite "felt" for her. Vivian's character, while interesting, seemed more like a flat Stanley (very one dimensional) than a complex, misunderstood killer.
I happened to catch this film on Lifetime (the television network for women) today and I am very thankful that I never wasted the time or the money to see this film in the theater or even to rent it or buy it on DVD. I was really disappointed because I really wanted it to be good - I almost assumed it would be good because I really enjoy Robert Downey Jr. and the general meat and potatoes of the movie seemed like it would be great but unfortunately
In Dreams just didn't pan out for me.
In Dreams Movie Cast and Credits
Directed by
Neil Jordan
Writing credits (WGA)
Bari Wood (novel Doll's Eyes)
Bruce Robinson (screenplay) and
Neil Jordan (screenplay)
Cast (in credits order)
Annette Bening .... Claire Cooper
Katie Sagona .... Rebecca Cooper
Aidan Quinn .... Paul Cooper
Robert Downey Jr. .... Vivian Thompson
Paul Guilfoyle .... Det. Jack Kay
Kathleen Langlois .... Snow White
Jennifer Berry .... Hunter
Emma J. Brown .... Dwarf
Jennifer Dragon .... Dwarf
Samantha Kelly .... Dwarf
Jennifer Caine Natenshon .... Dwarf
Bethany M. Paquin .... Dwarf
Erica Sullivan .... Dwarf
Amelia Claire Novotny .... Prince
Kristin Sroka .... Wicked stepmother
Robert Walsh .... Man at school play
Denise Cormier .... Woman at school play
John Fiore .... Policeman
Ken Cheeseman .... Paramedic
Dennis Boutsikaris .... Dr. Stevens
Devon Cole Borisoff .... Vivian Thompson as a boy
Stephen Rea .... Dr. Silverman
Prudence Wright Holmes .... Mary
Lonnie Farmer .... Nurse Rosco
Margo Martindale .... Nurse Floyd
June Lewin .... Kindly nurse
Pamela Payton-Wright .... Ethel
Krystal Benn .... Ruby
Dorothy Dwyer .... Foster mother
Geoffrey Wigdor .... Vivian Thompson as a teenager
Wally Dunn .... Walter
Eric Roemele .... Security man in 1970s
Dossy Peabody .... Vivian's mother
John Michael Vaughn .... Helicopter pilot
Brian Goodman .... Policeman in squad car
Michael Cavanaugh .... Judge (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eric Bruno Borgman .... Man trapped in car (uncredited)
Alan Francis .... Police officer (uncredited)
Mylan Janoplis .... Diver (uncredited)
Dee Nelson .... Teacher (uncredited)
More In Dreams Movie Reviews
JoBlo Movie Review of In DreamsIn Dreams Movie Review and Information Page at The Internet Movie Database
