What Dreams May Come Movie Review 1998

Romantic idea and lushly colorful computer imagery combine with sappy dialogue to turn surreal fantasy into very average digital hocus-pocus. Dr. Chris Neilsen (Williams) and his artist-wife Annie (Sciorra) lose their two children to a traffic accident. Four years later the doctor himself is killed in a freak accident. He finds that his heaven is much like a painting done by his wife (or Monet or Van Gogh) of their dream cottage. Chris is just getting used to the "rules" when he learns that his wife has committed suicide, damning her to hell. Unable to accept eternal separation, he begins an odyssey to find her. For the first half hour, Williams alternates between a "Patch Adams" rehearsal and over-emoting into the tear-filled eyes of Sciorra. Very loosely adapted from a 20-year-old Richard Matheson novel.

Distribution

USA Home Entertainment, 1 W. Forest, Englewood, NJ 07631-4004, Phone: (201)871-1000, URL: http://www.polygram-us.com

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 113 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Fantasy, Romantic Drama, Death & the Afterlife, Doctors & Nurses, Art & Artists, Big Ideas, Heaven Sent, Suicide, Books to Film: Richard Matheson, Hell, Flashback

Screenplay

Ronald Bass

Cast

Rosalind Chao, Robin Williams, Annabella Sciorra, Cuba Gooding, Max von Sydow, Jessica Brooks Grant, Josh Paddock

Cinematography

Eduardo Serra

Director

Vincent Ward

Music

Michael Kamen

Awards

Oscars 1998: Visual FX.