tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post3977642594082150511..comments2024-03-18T17:02:06.917-07:00Comments on DREAMS ARE WHAT LE CINEMA IS FOR...: DREAM LOVER 1986Ken Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-3233364692241909772020-10-11T15:30:40.469-07:002020-10-11T15:30:40.469-07:00Hi Pete
I'm so backlogged, I'm going to ha...Hi Pete<br />I'm so backlogged, I'm going to have to hit your engaging and entertaining post comments backwards!<br />Like you, I think McNichol is a fabulous dramatic actress (you're right, she IS one of the top criers in the business), but I always got a kick out of her comedy chops on Empty Nest. I'm not so fond of JUST THE WAY YOU ARE, but since I like her in the almost unwatchable THE PIRATE MOVIE, I get no "taste" points on that score.<br />I didn't know Deas what such a popular and awarded soap star! Just goes to show.<br />I'm glad you gave this film another look-see. It reminds me a bit of Meryl Streep's STILL OF THE NIGHT -- as much as I like it, I'm made aware of the elements that, as you note, can't help but disappoint. Both film seem overloaded with good ideas and potential. That they're not fulfilled is built into the expectations that come with the casts and behind the camera talent.<br />Given how very few films McNichol made, I grow fonder of this movie with each passing year. Thanks very much, Pete! <br />Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-78192483802344329132020-10-09T19:17:46.283-07:002020-10-09T19:17:46.283-07:00Hi Ken-
Thanks for reviewing such a little remembe...Hi Ken-<br />Thanks for reviewing such a little remembered/respected film. I've always liked Kristy McNichol, especially the comedic side represented by her work on "Empty Nest" and "Just The Way You Are". (I know the latter is terrible but it's one of my fave bits of 80s romantic cheese. She's adorable in it, especially considering the personal turmoil she was in while making it.) As time goes on my level of regret for the shortness of her acting career gets higher, as the woman had serious dramatic chops. (She is one of the top criers in the business.) I tried giving this one a chance back in the late 80s but I didn't really like it; thanks to you I enjoyed revisiting it due to McNichol's performance. I agree she's good in it.<br />Being a fan of "Just", the most memorable part back then was she was playing a flutist for a second time in a row...what was up with that? Did Pakula see her miming in the earlier film and actually think it was convincing? Your comments about that aspect are especially hilarious to me.<br />The lack of chemistry between Kristy and her flute isn't the only problem with the jazz combo storyline. She has very little chemistry with Deas either, which makes the fact that he won a Daytime Emmy 6 times (!) all the more ironic. (Thank you commenters, as I couldn't quite place where I knew him from.) You can't blame the lack of chemistry on the film in general, as she DOES have some with Masters, which saves the latter half from some of the tedium you describe. The ending however can't do anything but disappoint.<br />All in all there are enough positives to make it an interesting failure...one that could never live up to what that teaser trailer promises!petlodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01271851273533301436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-79619542386796096632020-04-24T01:06:52.193-07:002020-04-24T01:06:52.193-07:00the best movie of kristy's career? summer of m...the best movie of kristy's career? summer of my german soldier. then again, acting partner esther rolle can make bad actors passable and good actors interesting.petercox97https://www.blogger.com/profile/05818754297522029991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-46113131297306049182016-06-22T15:47:58.492-07:002016-06-22T15:47:58.492-07:00Hi Chris
I wish I had a memory of McNichol during ...Hi Chris<br />I wish I had a memory of McNichol during her "Family" days. I never watched it (I think it started my first year of college,s o too busy), but I have a disticnt memoryof seeing a clip or photo and taking it for granted that Buddy was a boy. <br />I felt startled and foolish when I later learned it was a little Jodie Foster type little girl. (It still amazes me, from my days as a theater usher, the number of people who sat through the entirety of "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" and still came away from it thinking Jodie was a preteen boy).<br />Anyhow, as much as I like and Miss McNichol myself, I do admire that she retired in 2001 and left what was probably a certain amount of Hollywood craziness behind for a chance at having a life. I'm also glad she didn't wait until she was like 87 before coming out. <br />She was long out of the limelight and didn't need to do it, but, for the visibility reason you state, it's an admirable gesture on her part to come out "officially."<br />"Dream Lover" is certainly a curio from the past. Perhaps not an undiscovered classic, but certainly worth re-checking out if you haven't seen it in years.<br />Thanks, Chris! <br />Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-21529504020902010802016-06-22T14:13:47.571-07:002016-06-22T14:13:47.571-07:00I don’t know when I’ve ever been as pleased (and s...I don’t know when I’ve ever been as pleased (and surprised!) by anything as this unexpected love-feat for Justin Deas! I hope he knows how many young girls he held/holds in thrall. As is often the case when others take note of something I have perhaps passes over (I left the film with a strong impression of his being handsome in that slightly corrupt way I associate with many of the guys I had crushes on in art school), and that he has great legs. I had no idea he was a soap heartthrob on the order of Anthony Geary.<br /><br />Your assessment of Pakula’s work is apt and astute in evaluating how the qualities that help to distinguish some of his films are the very ones which can prove a disadvantage in stories where a bit of engaged passion or invested neurosis might have helped. Adrian Lyne II absolutely adore “Unfaithful) is a good example of the kind of director “Dream Lover” could have used. Even Brian De Palma.<br /><br />And what a thoughtful and well-founded evaluation of Kristy McNichol and the issues with her image! You really nail it. She was talented and popular, but Hollywood’s limited imagination when it comes to women didn’t include knowing what to do with sweetly asexual (Linda Blair, Jodie Foster, and Tatum O’Neal had their images sexualized at creepily early ages). <br />And a special thanks for sharing your personal story and experience of being diagnosed bipolar. When “Dream Lover” came out McNichol has weathered a period of the worst press of her career. Symptoms of what later would be diagnosed as bipolar began to manifest during the making of 1984s “Just the Way You Are.” And, similar to what happened with Patty Duke, the erratic behavior and mood swings were attributed to drug use and star temperament. When she appeared in this film, I still think it was before she had been clinically diagnosed. In any event, there’s certainly an emotional edge to her performance that has a certain poignancy when placed in perspective of all that must have been going on in her private life.<br />I thank YOU, Roberta, for contributing such a truly thoughtful and perceptive comment. A good example of the kind of collaborative feel of this “comments” section. Remarkably, you’ve provided a lot of intelligent insight to the film even without even having seen it. Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-5363910789909980892016-06-22T03:01:10.191-07:002016-06-22T03:01:10.191-07:00Hi Ken - have not thought of this movie in a long,...Hi Ken - have not thought of this movie in a long, long time. You've made me want to see it again.<br /><br />I was a big, big fan of Kristy McNichol. I always had such a crush on tomboy types, and with Little Darlings, I was in heaven with Tatum and Kristy (where I also discovered Matt Dillon was even prettier!)<br /><br />My favorite TV drama growing up was Family, with Kristy, Sada Thompson, James Broderick and Meredith Baxter (Birney)....Kristy's character of Buddy was exactly my age, and I loved how real and engaging that show was. <br /><br />So sad for us that she hardly works anymore, but Hollywood is no place for people with mental illness....you have to have nerves of steel to work in that business! I hope she is well, and am glad that she finally came out...the more LGBT visibility, the better....<br /><br />What a blast from the past! Will look for Dream Lover...was not aware it was Pakula who directed it, not his usual cup of tea. <br />-Chrisangelman66https://www.blogger.com/profile/16471674180789592940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-49864454502338422882016-06-21T20:20:32.032-07:002016-06-21T20:20:32.032-07:00Ken, let me start by stating that I, too, belong t...Ken, let me start by stating that I, too, belong to the Justin Deas fan club, having like him way back from his Santa Barbara soap opera days. I think he even won a Daytime Emmy for that show. There was a quirkiness to him that made him stand out from the typical square-jawed hunks on the show.<br />I am also an admirer of Alan J. Pakula's work, and thank you for calling out Paula Prentiss' work in The Parallax View. She was absolutely robbed when she didn't receive an Oscar nom for best supporting actress.<br />Apart from Starting Over, most of the films I associate with Pakula are dramas rich in intelligence with a somewhat clinical professionalism. His camera always seems to be precise, clear eyed, and somewhat dispassionate. This style really works well for him in The Parallax View and All The President's Men. For me, while Sophie's Choice is an intelligent adaptation of the book, somehow Pakula never reached the majestic suffering the story deserved (Streep's vaunted performance notwithstanding.)<br />Maybe his self containment limited his ability to revel in the kind of erotic undertones that could have made Dream Lover a classic thriller. Think what Adrian Lyne could have done with this material!<br />I remember the first time I saw Kristy McNichol on TV. She was one of the children on a minister on a show called Apple's Way with Ronny Cox. She appeared starting on the second (and last) season, replacing another actress who played the daughter. I remember the show's producer addressing the cast change in the TV Guide Fall Preview issue and raving about this new actress who was going to be a star. And he was right. She stood out from the other child actors in the show right from the start. Her portrayal of Buddy on Family was one of the most realistic and sensitive depictions of late adolescence I've ever seen.<br />But as we know Hollywood isn't always about talent. I think Kristy's "ordinariness" helped and hurt her career. She wasn't beautiful, or interestingly plain. She just looked like the checkout girl at the supermarket. She was relatable, yet forgettable at the same time. I can imagine Pakula being attracted to her intelligence and earnestness, but being perplexed on how to tap the other qualities needed for her to be a leading lady. Obviously the wardrobe, make up and hair departments on the film didn't help much either.<br />Jodie Foster had the same tomboyish quality as a child actor that Kristy did. Jodie's intelligence was never mixed with sweetness like Kristy's was. Maybe that changed the trajectories of their careers. <br />As someone who is diagnosed as bipolar, I sympathize with how challenging dealing with career pressures eventually became for her. Although she may not have been diagnosed when she made this film, the intense swings between depression and mania that characterize the disorder may have unknowingly infused her performance with a truth she was not aware of. Same with her coming to terms with her sexuality. She was grappling with so many complexities in her real life, it's no wonder her work here has a raw honesty to it.<br />Thanks again, Ken, for a mindful essay -- and a surprise dose of Justin Deas. A bonus!<br />Roberta Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03065433889234217024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-62882316409744916822016-06-21T15:44:45.866-07:002016-06-21T15:44:45.866-07:00Hi Lila
Wow! Who knew there were so many people fa...Hi Lila<br />Wow! Who knew there were so many people familiar with the oeuvre of one Justin Deas? I'm quite surprised to know he was such a staple of TV soaps. <br />Your fangirl enthusiasm is very refreshing, so you'll be happy to know you'll be rewarded with a couple of very brief nude butt shots of Deas should you ever get around to seeing "Dream Lover."<br />Excellent observation you made about that "something" that always struck you about McNichol. I never had it with McNichol myself (but I always think I gravitated to feminine extremes in movie actresses: the hyper-femininity of Ann-Margret/ the slightly butch womanliness of Glenda Jackson), but I had those feeling completely with Ellen Degeneres when she had her sitcom and especially in that terrible movie Mr. Wrong. Same inauthentic vibe I had with Rosie Donnell long before either came out.<br />McNichol used to take a dance class I was in back in the 80s, and I had a serious crush on her, but like my partner says...I might just as well have had a crush on a boy. She was (is) such a cutie to me, and such an appealing actress. I hated her vocalizing, though, and she and brother Jimmy made Donnie & Marie look edgy.<br />Should you ever get around to seeing this, please do let me know what you think. With your focus of attraction the curly haired Deas, you might bring new insights to the film. Thanks for such an entertaining comment! As I've said, I love hearing about people who surrender themselves to the crushes they develop on screen personalities.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-47207476743861608712016-06-21T14:12:26.851-07:002016-06-21T14:12:26.851-07:00I LITERALLY clapped my hand over my mouth to hold ...I LITERALLY clapped my hand over my mouth to hold back a shriek (so as not to startle the sleeping cat next to me) when I saw Justin Deas! ONLY my favorite soap opera actor ever! I will watch *anything* with him in it, even if big ole fluffy perms are involved! Back when SoapNet still existed--and I still mourn its passing--I was getting up at 6 AM just to watch him in his mid-70's role as Bucky Carter on Ryan's Hope. <br /><br />*fanning self, trying to calm down and breathe normally* I will totally check out Dream Lover whenever I can, even though I never was a fan of Kristy McNichol. As a young 'un my gaydar was, shall we say, less than well-developed (at eight, I was in love with Cesar Romero as the Joker and Joel Grey in Cabaret. Impeccable taste in gay men in makeup, at least--no wonder I love RPDR so much!), but in any case, there always seemed something so inauthentic about her. I'm sure there was some internalized homophobia on my part as well, but now I can see it was straight-up cognitive dissonance at her playing straight girls. Given her subsequent struggles with bipolar illness--which my husband has as well--and having to be closeted for so long, my heart goes out to her, so I know whenever I'm able to see this, I'm going to view her a million times more sympathetically than I ever could have as a kid.<br /><br />(Yes, even if she gets to kiss Justin Deas. ;)lilianavonkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09363096499107106137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-46421645600764274782016-06-21T12:56:21.046-07:002016-06-21T12:56:21.046-07:00I don't know Deas from any of the soaps you ci...I don't know Deas from any of the soaps you cited, but upon Googling him when i begun this piece, I too noted the difference. It's like he used up all his hair ration cards during the 80s!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-70856791330088837032016-06-21T05:40:43.729-07:002016-06-21T05:40:43.729-07:00Speaking of the other (male) stars, it was quite a...Speaking of the other (male) stars, it was quite a shock to see Justin Deas - far more famous, if at all, for his award-winning work on "As the World Turns," "Santa Barbara" and "Guiding Light" - with all that HAIR!! Wow...Poseidon3https://www.blogger.com/profile/10465785002285422594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-10890844738260733102016-06-21T02:26:07.218-07:002016-06-21T02:26:07.218-07:00Hi David
On the heels of "Sophie's Choice...Hi David<br />On the heels of "Sophie's Choice" I never knew if "Dream Lover" was Pakula's conscious attempt to step away from the BIG Hollywood film and return to the more personal style to which he always seemed best-suited, or was it a sign of having fell on difficult times.<br />The Kristy McNichol casting was one of those things that could have turned her career around had the film worked, but as you noted, was it purposeful or circumstantial that he cast the rest of the film entirely with unknowns? <br />I think it's one of Hollywood's odder sicknesses that successful directors keep feeling they shave to keep topping themselves, following one elephantine film with another. At times "Dream Lover" feels intentionally small (like a character piece), at others I feel like you stated ...that Pakula couldn't command an all-star cast on this one. As they say, audiences stayed away in droves.<br /><br /><br />I am a BIG fan of "Get Smart", too. My partner gifted me with the complete DVD series, but on the proviso I wouldn't force him to watch them! That Gayle Hunnicutt e[pisode is one of my favorites. Just last month i saw "The Legend of Hell House" for the first time and she was great in that as well. She has a don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it role in "Dream Lover", but she looks wonderful. Thanks for commenting, David!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-69836967223803923482016-06-21T02:03:28.344-07:002016-06-21T02:03:28.344-07:00Hi Poseidon
Yes, I think if anyone remembers this ...Hi Poseidon<br />Yes, I think if anyone remembers this film at all, it's from those days of limited-option cable TV. Movies were repeated and replayed ad nauseum, but it was so thrilling not to have commercials, you often watched whatever was on ...over and over again (That's how I got to see "Car Wash" some 12 times).<br />I'd pretty much forgotten about the film myself (I certainly hadn't seen it in decades) until it popped up as a made-to-order DVD; about the only hope for obscure movies these days outside of YouTube. <br /><br />I'd never thought of the "Vertigo" use of green and red in that apartment in the film, but now that you mention it, I wonder if it was indeed a Hitchcock connection. Certainly the colors used are not arbitrary. I have yet to check one of those online dream dictionaries to find out what red and green mean.<br /><br />And the 80s vibe is pretty thick in this film (the music, especially). Fashion-wise, it's kept somewhat in check by having few females in the cast, but once the dresses appear...you get that awful boxy Espirit look. Not my favorite even back then, but it looks positively perverse now (young women made to look like Dorothy Zbornak). Thanks for reading and commenting, Poseidon!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-24145309540065704872016-06-20T17:49:29.111-07:002016-06-20T17:49:29.111-07:00Dear Ken: Hi! I never saw this one, but like Posei...Dear Ken: Hi! I never saw this one, but like Poseidon3, boy! do I remember it from cable TV listings in the late 1980s.<br /><br />This must have been quite a departure for McNichol after her "Little Darlings" days (I never saw that one either, but I recall it was the movie everyone in my ninth grade class was talking about!). And who are the other lead actors listed above? I'm not familiar with any of them! Pakula obviously was not able to command an all-star cast for this one.<br /><br />Just to add one random pop culture reference: thanks for the photo of Gayle Hunnicutt. My husband and I are working our way through the entire seasons of the old sitcom "Get Smart," and Hunnicutt made a memorable appearance as the evil counterpart of Hymie the robot. She was stunning in that episode and looks pretty much the same in the photo above.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02904043774881615645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-38458461904000042712016-06-20T05:16:11.501-07:002016-06-20T05:16:11.501-07:00Wow. I had utterly and completely forgotten about ...Wow. I had utterly and completely forgotten about this movie's existence on Earth! I haven't ever seen it, though I feel like I probably saw bits and pieces during those years when cable movie channels were first in vogue and you turned on the TV and watched whatever was on out of the 1, 2 or 3 ones (or 4 if you were rich! LOL) that you subscribed to (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, The Movie Channel!) <br /><br />I would never in a million years have guessed that the woman on the poster was Kristy McNichol! She looks so different to me. <br /><br />When I saw the screenshot of the sleazy decor of that apartment, I felt a Hitchcock connection because in "Vertigo" he included a lot of red and green together. Interesting that she kept the nude lamp, but just went from green lighting to white. <br /><br />Poor Kristy in that hat... Your caption cracked me up. Thanks for profiling this! I love (re)discovering old, forgotten movies. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for this one.Poseidon3https://www.blogger.com/profile/10465785002285422594noreply@blogger.com