Main Cast: Jessica Lange, Ed Harris, Ann Wedgeworth, David Clennon, James Staley
Release Year: 1985
Country: US
Run Time: 115 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Patsy Cline was one of the first great female stars of country music, and her best-known hits (such as "Sweet Dreams" and "Walking After Midnight") not only broadened the audience for country but brought a new sophistication to the Nashville sound. Cline was at the peak of her popularity when she died in a plane crash in 1963, and Sweet Dreams is a biopic which examines her life and career, with a particular focus on her troubled relationship with her second husband, Charlie Dick. Cline (played by Jessica Lange) is unhappily married and playing small-time gigs in West Virginia when she meets Dick (Ed Harris), whose charm and aggressive self-confidence catch her attention. In time, Cline leaves her husband to marry Dick, and she gives up music to focus on raising their children. But after Dick goes into the Army, Cline begins singing again, and after joining forces with manager Randy Hughes (David Clennon), Cline becomes a rising star on the country music scene. However, Cline's success fuels her self-confidence, much to Dick's annoyance, and he becomes increasingly abusive (both physically and emotionally) as she attempts to assert her independence. Rather than attempt to re-create Patsy Cline's vocals, Jessica Lange instead opted to lip-synch with Cline's original recordings. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Produced by HBO, the 1985 Patsy Cline biopic Sweet Dreams plays like a really good TV movie. Mediocre production values and the narrow focus on her relationship with husband Charlie Dick (Ed Harris) makes a soap opera out of a country music legend. While it's a wise approach to show how her turbulent marriage paralleled her crossover to Countrypolitan ballads, the melodrama tends to overshadow the celebrity story by relegating her rise to stardom to the background. Due to the historically dubious concerts at carnivals and fairgrounds, it appears as though she wasn't as big a star as she actually was. Thankfully Jessica Lange gives it her all by creating a cheerful and spirited Cline who survives hardships with a good-natured Southern attitude. While her career is spotted with factual errors, at least her clothes are accurate: Nudie suit-dresses and cowgirl outfits during the late '50s for her early honky tonk songs, and gold lamé and pointy bras for the Nashville sound of the early '60s. By choosing to lip-sync to the actual recordings, Lange puts on excellent performances to some of Cline's biggest hits. Despite the subtle smoothing over of some major life events, her tragic death is unfortunately handled as blatantly as possible. While it probably won't please serious fans, Sweet Dreams is a pleasant enough picture of the country star until a more personal and touching portrait comes along. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Gary Basaraba - Woodhouse; John Goodman - Otis; P.J. Soles - Wanda; Caitlin Kelch - Sylvia Hensley; Terri Gardner - Old Singer; Patricia Allison - Surgery Nurse; William D. Byrd - Bass in Patsy's Band; Robert L. Dasch - John Hensley; John Walter Davis - Stone; Colton Edwards - Baby Randy; Tony Frank - Bartender; Jerry Haynes - Owen Bradley; Richard Kidney - TV Technician; Bruno Kirby - Arthur Godfrey; Jim Norman - Studio Musician; Robert Rothwell - Plastic Surgeon; Charles Walker - Cowboy Copas; Kenneth White - Big Bill Shakey; Boxcar Willie - Old Man in Jail; Greg Brickman; Harry Madsen; Michael David Black - Singer/Guitar [Patsy's Band]; Walter Caton - Fiddle in Krackers Band; Irv Cox - Studio Musician; Paul W. Crisman - Opry Singer; Carlton Cuse - Sergeant; John E. Davis - Skip Cartmill; Dennis Donaldson - Piano in Krackers Band; Holly Filler - Madrine; Peter Robert Grant - Studio Musician; Douglas B. Green - Opry Singer; Jimmy Mack Hodge, Jr. - Steel Guitar in Krackers Band; Johnnie Ray Jones - Guitar in Opry Band; Frank Knapp, Jr. - Hawkshaw Hawkins; Fred LaBour - Opry Singer; William Landers - Studio Musician; Odie Palmer - Electric Guitar in Krackers Band; Courtney Parker - Older Julie; Gary W. Pigg - Opry Singer; Aleda Pope - Girl Friend at Fair; Missy Proulx - Girl Friend at Fair; Jake T. Robinson - Biker; Toni Sawyer - Baby Nurse; Herb Schneider; Jack Slater - Recording Engineer; John M. Smarr - Accoustic Guitar in Patsy's Band; Timothy N. Tappen - Piano in Opry Band; William Edward Taylor - Guitar in Opry Band; Fred Paul Tenley - Electric Guitar in Krackers Band; Jimmy Vann - Studio Musician; Don Warden - Steel Guitar in Opry Band; Curtis Young - Singer, Guitar in Patsy's Band; Fred K. Young - Drums in Patsy's Band; James Bartley Young - Acoustic Guitar in Krackers Band; Stoney Jackson - Announcer at Grand Ol' Opry
Credit
David M. Haber - Art Director, Ann Roth - Costume Designer, Patrick Crowley - First Assistant Director, Karel Reisz - Director, Malcolm Cooke - Editor, Charles Gross - Composer (Music Score), Dorothy Pearl - Makeup, Albert Brenner - Production Designer, Robbie Greenberg - Cinematographer, Charles B. Mulvehill - Production Manager, Charles B. Mulvehill - Producer, Bernard Schwartz - Producer, Garry Lewis - Set Designer, Rodney M. Byrd - Special Effects, Burt Dalton - Special Effects, Greg Brickman - Stunts, Gilbert Combs - Stunts, Harry Madsen - Stunts, Herb Schneider - Stunts, David H. Franzoni - Screenwriter, Robert Getchell - Screenwriter
The movie was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actress (Jessica Lange). For all the musical sequences, Lange lip-synced to the original Patsy Cline recordings. The soundtrack of the same name was released in September 1985.
Patsy Cline is unhappily married and playing small-time gigs in West Virginia when she meets Charlie Dick, whose charm and aggressive self-confidence catch her attention. In time, Patsy leaves her husband to marry Charlie, and she gives up music to focus on raising their children. But after Charlie goes into the United States Army, Patsy begins singing again, and after joining forces with manager Randy Hughes, Patsy becomes a rising star on the country music scene.
However, Patsy's success fuels her self-confidence, much to Charlie's annoyance, and he becomes increasingly abusive (both physically and emotionally) as she attempts to assert her independence. Patsy was at the peak of her popularity as one of the first great female stars of country music when she died in a plane crash on March 5, 1963 at the age of 30.
Many of the sequences depicted in the film were inaccurate:
Patsy and her brother were not on their way to pick up beer when she nearly lost her life in a 1961 car crash. They were on their way to pick up material for her mother, a seamstress, to make her new stage clothes.
Patsy's husband, Charlie Dick, and their daughter, Julie, have both stated that Charlie never hit Patsy in front of their daughter. In fact, Charlie states that he only slapped Patsy once for becoming hysterical. Those related to Patsy state that, in the scenes, Patsy was portrayed more as a victim than she actually was. "Their fights were always interesting to watch because you always knew Patsy would win" claimed friend Dottie West.
Patsy's plane crashed in the early evening hours into a forest, (not a mountain), in Camden, Tennessee, due to bad weather. Her manager/pilot was not air plane instrument trained and lost control in the weather.
Patsy's mother, the late Hilda Hensely, once stated: "They (the producers) told me that they were going to make a love story. I saw the film once. That was enough."
