This page is about the 1989 movie. For the Farscape episode of the same title, see Dream a Little Dream (Farscape episode), for the music album by Cass Elliot see Dream a Little Dream (Cass Elliot album).
Dream a Little Dream is a 1989 teen film directed by Marc Rocco and stars Jason Robards, Corey Feldman, Piper Laurie, Meredith Salenger, Harry Dean Stanton and Corey Haim. It was filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina. Released in 1,019 theaters, it accumulated $5,552,441. This was the third film featuring the two Coreys. The film's sequel, Dream a Little Dream 2, was released in 1995.
Plot summary
Bobby Keller (Corey Feldman) is a high school student who, while taking a short cut through a backyard in his neighborhood, collides with Lainie Diamond (Meredith Salenger), whom he has been obsessing over recently despite the fact she is the girlfriend of his devious friend, Joel. At the time of the incident, an elderly man named Coleman Ettinger (Jason Robards) is performing a meditation exercise in the yard with his wife Gena (Piper Laurie), thinking that if he can enter a dream state voluntarily he will be able to live forever, thus being able to spend an eternity with his beloved wife. However, just as the Ettigners are on the verge of entering the "dream state", the collision forces a body switch between the four characters.
Bobby wakes up in his bedroom to find Dinger (Corey Haim) and his parents asking him if he's okay, but "Bobby" has no idea who these people are. It is actually Coleman is trapped in Bobby Keller's body; he leaves the house to find his wife but returns when he cannot find her or make any sense of the situation. Coleman then plays the role of Bobby when he returns and just wants to go to sleep to see if his dreams will give him any clue to what happened. The real Bobby greets him, who appears to be trapped in Coleman's dream.
The real Bobby claims to know how to swap them back but feels that it's not in his best interests to do so. He warns Coleman that if he cannot fix the problem then he will lose his wife forever.
Coleman must then figure out how to switch back to his own body within a few days or forever be trapped. However, as Gena Ettinger was skeptical of her husband's "dream state" theory from the beginning, she has only partially swapped bodies with Lainie, who doesn't know what has happened to her, so Keller has little time to convince her of the real situation before she will be lost forever.
Main cast
Music
The soundtrack that accompanies Dream a Little Dream was one of the most popular soundtracks of the late 1980s.[citation needed] It was popular for its unique mix of 1980s rock and classic music. Some songs featured are "Dreams To Remember" by Otis Redding, "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, "Time Runs Wild" by Danny Wilde, "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" by R.E.M., "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" by Timbuk 3, and Michael Damian's "Rock On" where its video clip actually had Corey Feldman, Meredith Salenger and Corey Haim in it.
Mickey Thomas, the lead singer of the popular 1980s band Starship, recorded the film's titled theme song and its duet version with Mel Tormé for the soundtrack. The duet version also plays at the end of the film. Thomas appears as the teacher Mr. Pattison in this film.
Track listing
- "Dream a Little Dream of Me" by Mickey Thomas – 2:52
- "Time Runs Wild" by Danny Wilde – 4:44
- "Whenever There's a Night" by Mike Reno – 3:34
- "Dreams Come True (Stand Up and Take It)" by Lone Justice – 4:05
- "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison – 3:30
- "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M. – 4:00
- "Rock On" by Michael Damian – 3:21
- "You'd Better Wait" by Fee Waybill – 3:21
- "Never Turn Away" by Chris Thompson – 3:07
- "I've Got Dreams to Remember" by Otis Redding – 3:12
- "Dream a Little Dream of Me" by Mel Tormé – 2:51
Songs From The Movie
- Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades - Timbuk 3 - 3:20
- Young At Heart - Frank Sinatra
- The Midnight Hour - Wilson Pickett
- Where Is She? - Blue Future
- Dress To Kill - Steve Plunkett
Reception
The movie made around $2,500,000 in its opening weekend with its widest release in 1,019 theaters. On the following week, its weekend gross dropped dramatically (by around 51%). Its domestic gross came out to be around $5,500,000. Despite its short lived theater release, it has accumulated a cult following through DVD and VHS sales.
External links
