Just a Dream

Rating:
Summary: Small town dreams
Review: An excellent small film with a very strong performance by Carl
Lumbly and extended cameos by Amy Madigan and in a negative role as the philandering Father/Doctor, a too long missing from feature films, Robby Benson.

Another in a long line of "summer coming of age films," showcasing a small town (Nevada) twelve year old who gets a part time job in a local saloon. Befriended by a wise mechanic (African American wonderfully portrayed by Lumbly), and a wise cracking bartender ( a Native American); the film centers on the boy who (entering the seventh grade) is forced to grow up admidst parents who are unable to communicate and surrogate adults who are wise, tolerant, and nuturing.

Learning to drive and realize dreams is a wonderful sub plot.

Well crafted and highly recommended. A Showtime film for television.

Rating:
Summary: A Nice Coming of Age Story
Review: Danny Glover directs this film about a young boy growing up in Dayton, Ohio during the 1960's.

A young boy finds himself struggling with his youthful innocence and the sins of adulthood. His father, (Robbie Benson), and his mother, (Ally Sheedy) have a relationship that is falling apart. Benson is the town doctor and apparently he has a few activities on the side that take him away from his family. In search of a father figure the young boy befriends an African American man who has a crush on Marilyn Monroe and a Native American bartender who offers up a bit of wise advice and hope every now and then. Both men teach the boy about life and the struggles of right and wrong. Another influence in the boy's life is a strong woman (Amy Madigan) who owns the bar that the boy works for. Surrounded by the arms of these unlikely friends the boy grows into a wise and happy soul. The writing is well done and most of the characters rich with meaning.

The best part of this film has to do with the fantasy as it revolves around Marilyn Monroe. The dreams of the characters seem somehow distant and unobtainable, just like those in reality, but when some dreams finally come true the scenes are absolutely touching. This film is a true sleeper, lost somehow in the shuffle but well worth its weight in gold. The story is inspirational in a softly portrayed way showing us that sometimes life is more than just another dream.


Rating:
Summary: great movie
Review: just a deam is a really great movie. It about a film clew that go to a town to film a movie plus it changes the life of a boy and he makes lots of friends along the way

Rating:
Summary: White men are bad news???
Review: The movie was a sweet story about adorable young white boy growing up in rural NV in 1960. In this story his doctor dad is good for nothing, selfish liar. There is a nasty good for nothing, lowlife, drunken bar regular (who incidently is a white guy). The only other white guys I recall having more than one sentence in the movie (and it may have been collectively) were the film makers who (of course) looked and sounded in general to be a disagreeable lot.
The boy spends his summer in a saloon with two male role models from which he gains wisdom and maturity. One a likeable, not overly intellegent Native American with a big heart. The other, the star of the show, portrayed as a very wise, sensitive and caring African-American man who helps the boy through the rough patches.
What was the message this movie is really trying to convey?
It seemed pretty thinly vailed to me.