Dreamland (2006 film)

Last updated
Dreamland
Dreamland2.jpg
Movie poster
Directed by Jason Matzner
Written byTom Willett
Produced byPeter Heller
Doug Mankoff
Andrew Spaulding
Starring Agnes Bruckner
Kelli Garner
Justin Long
John Corbett
Gina Gershon
Chris Mulkey
Luce Rains
Brian Klugman
Cinematography Jonathan Sela
Edited by Zene Baker
Music by Anthony Marinelli
Photek
Distributed by Echo Lake Productions
Release date
  • December 19, 2006 (2006-12-19)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Dreamland is an American drama film that was released on December 19, 2006. The primary plot focuses concern overcoming fear, struggling friend to friend relationships, and overall coming of age in small-town America. [1]

Contents

Plot

Eighteen-year-old Audrey (Agnes Bruckner) lives with her agoraphobic father (John Corbett) in a remote community in the breathtakingly beautiful New Mexico desert. Though Audrey longs to go to college, she spends her days taking care of her father, who hasn’t left home since Audrey’s mother died, and her best friend Calista (Kelli Garner), who dreams of becoming Miss America but is struggling with multiple sclerosis.

The summer after Audrey graduates from high school, her world is changed forever when an attractive young man named Mookie (Justin Long) moves in next door with his mother Mary (Gina Gershon) and her fiancé, Herb (Chris Mulkey). Knowing how much Calista longs for romance, Audrey encourages Mookie to ask Calista on a date. He obliges, and he and Calista soon become a couple. Audrey, however, finds herself developing feelings for Mookie, and as these feelings grow it becomes harder and harder for her to be the dependable, selfless person that her father and best friend have always counted on her to be.

Ultimately, Audrey, who has taken care of everyone around her, finally learns to take care of herself, and those whose lives she touched must find the strength to let her go.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 67% based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. [2]  At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Wedding Planner</i> 2001 film

The Wedding Planner is a 2001 American romantic comedy film directed by Adam Shankman, in his feature film directorial debut, written by Michael Ellis and Pamela Falk, starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey.

<i>Raising Helen</i> 2004 film by Garry Marshall

Raising Helen is a 2004 American comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall and written by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler. It stars Kate Hudson, John Corbett, Joan Cusack, Hayden Panettiere, siblings Spencer and Abigail Breslin, and Helen Mirren. It grossed $37,486,512 at the U.S. box office.

<i>One True Thing</i> 1998 American drama film

One True Thing is a 1998 American drama film directed by Carl Franklin. It tells the story of a woman in her 20s who is forced to put her life on hold in order to care for her mother, who is dying of cancer. The script was adapted by Karen Croner from the novel by Anna Quindlen, with the story being based on Quindlen's own struggle with the death of her mother, Prudence Pantano Quindlen, from ovarian cancer in 1972.

<i>Keeping the Faith</i> 2000 film directed by Edward Norton

Keeping the Faith is a 2000 American romantic comedy film written by Stuart Blumberg, and starring Ben Stiller, Edward Norton, Jenna Elfman, Eli Wallach, and Anne Bancroft. This film was released by Touchstone Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment, in association with Triple Threat Talent, on April 14, 2000.

<i>Passionada</i> 2002 American film

Passionada is a 2002 American romantic comedy film. It is directed by Dan Ireland and stars Jason Isaacs, Sofia Milos and Emmy Rossum, co-starring Seymour Cassel and Theresa Russell. The story is by David Bakalar, and the screenplay is by Jim and Steve Jermanok. The film is set in New Bedford, Massachusetts, a formerly wealthy port town with a sizable population of Portuguese descent.

<i>At First Sight</i> (1999 film) 1999 American film by Irwin Winkler

At First Sight is a 1999 American romantic drama film directed by Irwin Winkler and starring Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino. It is based on the essay "To See and Not See" in neurologist Oliver Sacks's 1995 book An Anthropologist on Mars and inspired by the true life story of Shirl Jennings. The film was written by Steve Levitt.

<i>City by the Sea</i> 2002 American crime drama film

City by the Sea is a 2002 American crime drama film starring Robert De Niro, James Franco, Eliza Dushku, Frances McDormand and William Forsythe. It deals with the family problems of a wayward youth and is set against a man trying to break free of his past. It was directed by Michael Caton-Jones. It is based on the story of Vincent LaMarca.

<i>The Safety of Objects</i> 2001 film

The Safety of Objects is a 2001 American drama film based upon a collection of short stories of the same name written by A. M. Homes and published in 1990. It features four suburban families who find that their lives become intertwined. The film was directed by Rose Troche, who co-wrote the screenplay with Homes. It touches upon many issues of the human experience in life. There are about 15 major characters in the film.

<i>Mind the Gap</i> (2004 film) American comedy-drama film

Mind the Gap is a 2004 American multi-story comedy-drama film, written and directed by Eric Schaeffer. The film moves back and forth between five separate stories that interconnect with each other by the end of the film. The film stars Elizabeth Reaser, Eric Schaeffer, Jill Sobule, Charles Parnell, John Heard, Vera Farmiga, and Alan King in his last film role.

<i>Ella Enchanted</i> (film) 2004 film by Tommy OHaver

Ella Enchanted is a 2004 jukebox musical fantasy comedy film directed by Tommy O'Haver and written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, loosely based on Gail Carson Levine's 1997 novel of the same name. Starring Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy, the film is a satire of the fairy tale genre.

<i>The Page Turner</i> 2006 French film

The Page Turner is a 2006 French film directed by Denis Dercourt. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Step Up 2: The Streets</i> 2008 American film

Step Up 2: The Streets is a 2008 American dance drama film directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Toni Ann Johnson and Karen Barna. It serves as a sequel to 2006's Step Up and the second installment in the Step Up film series. The film stars Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman, Will Kemp, and Cassie Ventura.

<i>Jellyfish</i> (2007 film) 2007 filmnby Shira Geffen and Etgar Keret

Jellyfish is a 2007 Israeli film based on a story by Shira Geffen and directed by her husband, Etgar Keret. The film tells the story of three women in Tel Aviv whose intersecting lives paint a pessimistic portrait of Israeli secular life. Batya, a waitress at weddings, comes across a mute child who seemingly emerges from the sea. Keren, a bride whose wedding Batya worked at, breaks her leg climbing out of bathroom stall and ruins her dream honeymoon in the process. And Joy, a Filipina domestic, attends to her employer with whom she struggles to communicate. Poetic imagery draws connections between the lives of these women, all of whom find solace in the sea.

<i>Heartbreaker</i> (2010 film) 2010 French film

Heartbreaker is a 2010 French romantic comedy film starring Romain Duris, Vanessa Paradis, Julie Ferrier and François Damiens.

<i>Jeff, Who Lives at Home</i> 2011 film by Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass

Jeff, Who Lives at Home is a 2011 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Jay and Mark Duplass, starring Jason Segel and Ed Helms, and co-starring Judy Greer and Susan Sarandon. The film premiered on September 14, 2011, at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and then saw a limited release in the United States and Canada on March 16, 2012, after having been pushed back from the original date of March 2. The film received praise for its humor, but grossed only $4.7 million worldwide against a $7.5 million budget.

<i>Dolphin Tale 2</i> 2014 American film

Dolphin Tale 2 is a 2014 American family film written and directed by Charles Martin Smith as the sequel to his 2011 film Dolphin Tale which in-turn was based on the true story about a rescued bottlenose dolphin named Winter who made her final on-screen appearance in this film before her death in November 2021. In addition to Winter, most of the cast from the first film also reprise their roles including Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Kris Kristofferson, Morgan Freeman, Austin Stowell, Tom Nowicki, Austin Highsmith, Betsy Landin and Juliana Harkavy while Hope made her film debut. It was released on September 12, 2014, and tells the story of another dolphin at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium named "Hope". After Winter's elderly companion and surrogate mother, Panama, dies, Winter's future is in jeopardy, unless Sawyer, Clay, Hazel, and the rest of the team can find a new companion for her. The film received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics and grossed $57.8 million.

<i>Bird People</i> (film) 2014 film

Bird People is a 2014 French drama film directed by Pascale Ferran and starring Josh Charles and Anaïs Demoustier. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. It was also screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.

<i>People Places Things</i> 2015 American film

People Places Things is a 2015 American comedy film written and directed by James C. Strouse. The film stars Jemaine Clement, Regina Hall, Jessica Williams, Stephanie Allynne and Michael Chernus. The film was released on August 14, 2015, by The Film Arcade.

<i>The Legend of Barney Thomson</i> 2015 British film

The Legend of Barney Thomson, known in the United States as Barney Thomson, is a 2015 British comedy thriller film based on the 1999 novel The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson by Douglas Lindsay. It is the directorial debut of Robert Carlyle, who also stars in the film, alongside Emma Thompson, Ray Winstone, Ashley Jensen and Brian Pettifer. It was previewed at the 2015 Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2015 before its release on 24 July 2015. The film also won the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Feature Film.

<i>Please Stand By</i> 2017 American film

Please Stand By is a 2017 American comedy-drama film directed by Ben Lewin and based on the 2008 short play of the same name by Michael Golamco, who also wrote the screenplay. The film stars Dakota Fanning, Toni Collette, Alice Eve, River Alexander and Patton Oswalt, and was distributed by Magnolia Pictures.

References

  1. Mick LaSalle (1 December 2006). "No trash in this trailer park -- just girls trying to cope". San Francisco Chronicle . Archived from the original on 7 November 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  2. "Dreamland". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  3. "Dreamland reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved July 17, 2023.