In Dreams

You don't have to sleep to dream

5.5
19991h 40m

Production

Logo for DreamWorks Pictures
Logo for Amblin Entertainment

A suburban housewife learns that she has psychic connections to a serial killer, and can predict this person's motives through her dreams.

Trailers & Videos

Thumbnail for video: Theatrical Trailer

Theatrical Trailer

Cast

Photo of Annette Bening

Annette Bening

Claire Cooper

Photo of Aidan Quinn

Aidan Quinn

Paul Cooper

Photo of Stephen Rea

Stephen Rea

Doctor Silverman

Photo of Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr.

Vivian Thompson

Photo of Paul Guilfoyle

Paul Guilfoyle

Detective Jack Kay

Photo of Dennis Boutsikaris

Dennis Boutsikaris

Doctor Stevens

Photo of Lonnie Farmer

Lonnie Farmer

Nurse Rosco

Photo of Margo Martindale

Margo Martindale

Nurse Floyd

Photo of Katie Sagona

Katie Sagona

Rebecca Cooper

Photo of Geoffrey Wigdor

Geoffrey Wigdor

Vivian Thompson - As Teenager

Photo of Robert E. Walsh

Robert E. Walsh

Man at School Play

Photo of Denise Cormier

Denise Cormier

Woman at School Play

Photo of John Fiore

John Fiore

Policeman

Photo of Ken Cheeseman

Ken Cheeseman

Paramedic

Photo of Dorothy Dwyer

Dorothy Dwyer

Foster Mother

Photo of Dossy Peabody

Dossy Peabody

Vivian's Mother

Photo of Brian Goodman

Brian Goodman

Policeman in Squad Car

Photo of Michael Cavanaugh

Michael Cavanaugh

Judge (voice)

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Reviews

J

John Chard

5/10

Stylistic Dirge.

In Dreams is directed by Neil Jordan and adapted to screenplay by Jordan and Bruce Robinson from the Bari Wood novel. It stars Annette Bening, Aidan Quinn, Robert Downey Jr.and Paul Guilfoyle. Music is by Elliot Goldenthal and cinematography by Darius Khondji.

In this contrived thriller, Bening is a grief stricken housewife who finds her thoughts in sync with a serial killer (a ridiculously miscast Downey Jr.). Neil Jordan is a great director, but he's also a very frustrating one, case in point In Dreams. The visuals are outstanding here as Jordan and Khondji paint a nightmarish world, but the flashbacks are unfocused and any sense of suspense or plot progression is lost in a whirl of stylised indulgence. Strip away the style and you find a formulaic serial killer picture hiding behind arty farty stubbornness. Bening's performance deserves a better movie, and it is with her, and the visual smarts, that the pic remains of interest till its resolution. 5/10

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