Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»3183. Dreamland (2020)

    3183. Dreamland (2020)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on December 14, 2020 2020, 6 - 7.9, 90-99 mins, Dec 20, Drama, Movies Of 2020, Review, Thriller, United States, Western
    6.9 Nostalgic, but mostly a weak drama
    • Acting 7.0
    • Directing 6.8
    • Story 6.8
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Finn Cole, Margot Robbie, Travis Fimmel

    Director: Miles Joris-Peyrafitte

    Running Time: 98 mins


    Dreamland is an American film about a young man living in rural Texas who discovers a well-known fugitive hiding in his family’s barn, but instead of reporting her and collecting a $10,000 bounty, he grows closer to her as he dreams of the excitement of an outlaw’s life.

    A film that yearns to capture the same thrill as legendary outlaw picture Bonnie And Clyde, Dreamland is a film with all the nostalgia for life outside the law, but little of the charisma and thrill that makes that lifestyle so appealing. Despite two decent lead performances, Dreamland is far from an enthralling watch, only really making use of its premise too late in the day.

    However, let’s start with the positives. Although Dreamland is an undoubtedly flawed film, its nostalgia and passion for the bygone era of the aftermath of the Wild West is both genuine and thoroughly entertaining.

    With its lead character, played by Finn Cole, a wide-eyed, innocent lover of the world of outlaws and bank robbers, Dreamland is fully aware of its own nostalgia and the inevitable realities of the world it idolises, effectively balancing an idealistic and realistic view of life outside the law.

    Another plus comes in the form of the two lead performances. Although neither Finn Cole nor Margot Robbie is on top form, the pair work really well together, and the imbalanced dynamic between them – as Cole’s character feels an unrequited love for Robbie’s – is more than convincing.

    In a film that admittedly lacks engrossing dramatic and emotional depth, that dynamic is the most interesting part of the story, coming to a head in the film’s impressively enthralling final act, although it’s fair to say that it all comes a little too late.

    For the majority of the film’s first two acts, we follow a fairly disjointed story where the only real highlights are the regular but unfortunately brief interactions between Cole and Robbie. The film tries to build a clear picture of the rural community in which the story takes place, but that’s something which is achieved very quickly, and much of its later exposition proves both dull and unnecessary.

    The development of the relationship between Cole and Robbie is engaging, but we spend too little time with them together, with the film instead unsuccessfully fleshing out a collection of forgettable secondary characters that add little to the story’s emotional resonance.

    It’s not until the final act, when we finally see Cole and Robbie together in a Bonnie And Clyde-style adventure, that things really improve, and although I thoroughly enjoyed this movie’s finale, it was such a shame that we didn’t see more of this part of the story earlier on.

    Overall, I found Dreamland to be a real mixed bag. Largely disappointing for the majority of its runtime, the movie is unable to make use of an engaging story that harks back to the glory of outlaws, and despite decent performances and a strong dynamic between its two main characters, the film’s strongest moments come along just a bit too late. So, that’s why I’m giving Dreamland a 6.9.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.2
    Review
    April 25, 20200

    2936. The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)

    8.7
    Review
    October 28, 20170

    1935. Bad Genius (ฉลาดเกมส์โกง) (2017)

    8.5
    Review
    December 4, 20130

    371. The Wizard Of Oz (1939)

    8.9
    Review
    January 21, 20150

    827. The African Queen (1951)

    8.0
    Review
    October 24, 20220

    3902. The Banshees Of Inisherin (2022)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.