Courtney Howard // Film Critic
IN YOUR DREAMS
Rated PG, 1 hour and 30 minutes
Directed by: Alexander Woo
Starring: Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Elias Janssen, Craig Robinson, Simu Liu, Cristin Milioti, Omid Djalili, Gia Carides, Erik Benson, Zachary Noah Piser
IN YOUR DREAMS isn’t a perfect movie. However, it’s a perfectly honest, witty and open-hearted feature – and its those qualities that make it soar. Director/ co-writer Alexander Woo’s tale about a young girl and her pesky younger brother trekking through unknown territory in hopes to reunite their fractured family is a hilarious, super sweet charmer that excels when it leans into the bizarre, sur-weirdness of dreams. Though it feels its run time and its sentimental story points don’t effortlessly crystalize by film’s end, its humor and heart make it an endearing journey.
Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) is hitting a rough patch in her life in her pre-teens. She feels like her picturesque familial bond has begun slowly dissolving since the birth of her younger brother Elliott (Elias Janssen). Not only has her stay-at-home songwriter Dad (Simu Liu) and college professor Mom’s (Cristin Milioti) attentive spotlight slipped away from her and onto her annoying brother, their focus on the family band has disappeared almost completely. The situation worsens between the family members though once Mom is offered a premiere teaching gig in her husband’s hometown and he expresses reluctance to move.
Yet, as anxious worrywart Stevie frets about how to solve the problem, a solution manifests when her sneaky sibling shoplifts, bringing home an enchanted, magical book filled with legend and lore. They learn that the Sandman (Omid Djalili) grants wishes to those who call upon him in his far-off kingdom beyond the stars – one they can only access if the dynamic duo dream together. Stevie figures if she can reunite her mom and dad – returning them to an Elliot-less era – they’ll live happily ever after. Naturally, their mission is thrown into chaos once threats occur. Still, that turmoil leads them to surprisingly unexpected resolution.
With exception of small kiddos watching, the story – written by Woo and co-director Erik Benson (who also voices my favorite character Pretty Princess Delilah) – is a mishmash of elements the audience have seen done before. It’s spun in a unique way, but can be a smidge reductive, from the friends-turned-enemies/ enemies-turned-friends road movie tropes (MIDNIGHT RUN) to the Dreamverse hijinks that has them battling adventurous obstacles to get to deeper realms (INCEPTION). All the sand creatures in The Sandman’s world look heavily Miyazaki-influenced (Calcifer immediately came to mind). Elliot’s bed-turned-horse seems like an obvious homage to Winsor McCay’s comic strip “Little Nemo in Slumberland.” The jovial prince of slumber Sandman himself seems like another take on Robin Williams’ Genie from Disney’s ALADDIN. Plus, Stevie’s entire conflict isn’t too dissimilar to Neo’s in THE MATRIX, having to choose between the red or blue pill.
The film could use a bit more streamlining as it tends to trip over too many ideas. Baloney Tony (Craig Robinson) does tend to wear out his welcome after he farts laser rainbows. The Sandman’s adversarial foe Nightmara (Gia Carides) initially appears as a strong, subversive commentary on Disney Animation’s frequent aversion to putting actual villains in Disney’s animated films as of late, which has possibly psychologically affected kids negatively growing up without that compass of judgement. But then these filmmakers waffle on exploring that radical idea, rendering their points moot once Nightmara’s presence dissipates and the concept of nostalgia becomes the real antagonistic force holding Stevie back from substantive growth.
That said, tremendous amounts of heart, humor and honesty buoy the proceedings. Woo and company have created lived-in, genuinely multi-dimensional characters that hold humanity in their core fiber. We empathize with Stevie’s motivation and actions, whether those are selfish or self-less, and root for her to succeed. Elliot’s given ample time to prove why he’s not a stereotypical bratty brother. And the parents’ crossroads will probably feel all-too-relatable to those in the audience experiencing similar. The vulnerability expressed is emotionally impacting. Plus, it contains a solid goof on Disneyland’s “It’s A Small World” ride and Chuck E. Cheese’s animatronic animal band, set to a hilariously dubbed needle drop on Pussycat Dolls’ “Don’t Cha.”
Grade: 3.5 out of 5
IN YOUR DREAMS is now playing.
