Dream
A Little Dream isn't your average teenage comedy. It's definitely more
on the drama side of things and deals with a lot heavier issues than
say, License to Drive. But that doesn't mean there won't be moments
when you laugh your ass off, and it's definitely not short of moments
that make you smile. Yuck. That makes it sound like Driving Miss Daisy
or some shit like that. It's nothing like that, really. Dream a Little
Dream, with all it's Coreyx2 goodness, is far cooler than that. It's an
odd story that takes some concentration to take in, but I think it's
worth it and that this movie is one of the more original of it's kind.
Bobby Keller (Feldman) is your stereotypical late 80's teen. He doesn't
talk to his parents, he's failing all his classes and uses about a can
of mousse a day. During a somewhat comical exchange about random
nothings one night with his best friend Dinger (Haim), he admits to him
that he has a crush on Lainie Diamond, who not only looks great in a
leotard, but also happens to be the girlfriend of their friend Joel, or
more specifically, Psycho Joel. Dinger thinks Bobby has a serious death
wish, but Bobby can't help the way he feels - and it's true; Lainie
really does look great in a leotard.
For two people that travel in the same group of friends, Lainie and
Bobby have never really had too much to say to each other, but they do
share the same route to school every day. Right through the garden of
Coleman and Gena Ettinger. Coleman tells Bobby and his friends to stay
out of his garden every day without fail, only to have them return the
next day to trample his flowers all over again. Coleman is very
spiritual and very absorbed in his meditations, to the point where Gena
feels the need to mention it to his best friend Ike, in the hopes that
he will talk to him. Coleman is working on an experiment that will take
him to a plane of existence where dreams are a reality, and then he
could live forever. After much pestering he convinces his wife to help
him by taking part in the experiment with him.
 However
things go horribly wrong when Lainie collides with Bobby when they are
both passing through the Ettingers property as Coleman and his wife do
their experiment on the front lawn. Coleman wakes to find himself
inside Bobby's body, with no idea who he is or where he is, and his
parents think he's on drugs. He goes to sleep that night only to dream
of Bobby who tells him that it's now up to Coleman to live Bobby's life
for him, as the experiment trapped Bobby in a dream. Bobby tells
Coleman that Gena is in the house packing, but she won't be able to see
or hear him and that he better hurry up and figure the whole thing out,
because packing is usually followed by leaving. He then tells Coleman
to wake up, or else he'll be late for school.
 Coleman
soon discovers that he has absolutely no idea what it's like to be a
teenager. He can't dress, speak or act like Bobby, but Dinger puts his
weirdness down to his accident the night prior. Coleman still has no
idea where Gena is, but has a slight suspicion that she might be
trapped somewhere inside Lainie. At first look, Lainie appears to be
her usual self and thinks Coleman/Bobby is crazy for thinking she is
someone she isn't, but Lainie strangely finds herself with some of
Gena's mannerisms, while she struggles to remember parts of her life,
such as dance routines and the combination to her locker. She is drawn
to Bobby, but doesn't understand why, and before long is open to the
possibility that they just might be who he says they are.
Coleman continues to dream about Bobby, who tells him that he wants to
stay in the dream world, while Coleman has to deal with his screwed up
life. Coleman is desperate to get both his wife and his life back and
offers to fix the problems in Bobby's life so that he will let him have
his own life back again. Bobby agrees, but warns Coleman that he only
has a few days to fic everything or he will lose Gena forever. He also
instructs Coleman to watch some home movies and study how Bobby acts
and speaks and to put some mousse in his hair so he doesn't look like
such an idiot.
 It
isn't long before Coleman has a handle on Bobby's life, or at least he
thinks he does. Lainie is falling for him and he has taken the SAT's
for Bobby which will most likely get him into a good college. He's even
managed to bridge the communication gap between Bobby and his parents.
On the surface things look rosy, but underneath things are anything
but. Joel hasn't taken too kindly to Lainie's new found affection for
Bobby, and after the school dance (and a few too many drinks) gets his
hands on a gun attempts to take his frustrations out on school asshole
Dumas. Coleman is running out of time, as Bobby told him today is the
last day to fix everything or he would lose Gena forever, so he is
attempting to re-create the experiment with Lainie. Joel's friend
arrives to tell him what is happening and Coleman reluctantly sends
Lainie home and goes to stop Joel. He leaves her with the warning
"Don't fall asleep".
Coleman manages to get Joel under control, but by the time he makes it
back to Lainie, her mother (who does not like him) has drugged her and
is sleeping peacefully in her bed. He tries everything to wake her, but
has no luck. Thinking he has failed, Coleman heads home to sleep and
prepare for a life as Bobby Keller. But has he done enough to fix
things after all?
Dream a Little Dream is a peculiar look at how most older people just
don't understand how hard it is to be a kid as times change, and being
the massive Coreyx2 fan that I am, I rate it highly. It's not the
lighthearted fluff that one might expect from an 80's teen comedy, but
still very easy to watch. As much as people like to hang shit on them,
Corey Feldman and Corey Haim are both very talented actors. If you
haven't seen this movie, watch it. If you have, then what the hell,
watch it again.
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Year:
1989
