Bobby has everything a young guy should: a good buddy, a girlfriend, and parents who love him. When the older couple down the street try a transcendental experiment to extend their lives, they quite literally become trapped in the teen’s bodies. This teen comedy has a great cast including the two Coreys – Corey Haim and Corey Feldman, as well as Harry Dean Stanton (Repo Man, Alien), Piper Laurie (Carrie), and Jason Robards (Magnolia).
For thoughts on Dream A Little Dream, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.
Video Quality
Dream A Little Dream finally makes its Blu-Ray debut with a 1080p transfer that is overall a decent affair but is far from a knockout. While I have no specific details about the transfer, this appears to be derived from a dated master that has not had a huge amount of work done to it. There are recurring specks of print damage present in the transfer that did not get cleaned up during the digital restoration. From scene to scene the film can look either incredibly clear and detailed or a bit soft and lacking fine detail. The transfer is naturally filmic with some decent detail in the landscapes, production design and texture of clothing. Colors are a mixed bag with some moments making an impression and others lacking depth, and the black levels are only passable in their depth. It is readily apparent that you are watching an HD transfer, but do not expect to be blown away with the quality. This is the best that the film has ever looked on home entertainment, but a new 2K or 4K scan could have done wonders to make it more consistently great.
Audio Quality
Lionsgate Home Entertainment brings us this new Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix that accurately and pleasingly reproduces the film sonically. The movie is accompanied by a slew of tunes from the time that sound great here. The dialogue holds up quite nicely, coming though clearly without being stepped on by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely from the hustle and bustle of the hallway to some of the more fantastical sounds. This is a track that represents the film in a very satisfying way. Optional English, English (SDH) and Spanish subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Film Historian Jarret Gahan delivers an incredible commentary track in which he discusses the legacy of the film, the careers of those involved in the project, the history of Vestron Pictures and the spinoff label that released this film, the reception of the time, improvisation on set and more. There are a lot of great insights that are worth a listen.
- Young At Heart – Interview with Actor Corey Feldman: A new 30-minute interview with Feldman in which he discusses getting a dance sequence inserted into the picture, the original idea behind making this film, the evolving nature of the script, the challenges he faced as a performer, fun memories he has from the production, the involvement of Corey Haim and more. It is nice to see Feldman looking so together and willing to share stories here.
- When Lightning Strikes – Interview with Executive Producer Lawrence Kasanoff: A new 18-minute interview with Kasanoff in which he discusses his initial desire to get into producing, early projects from his career, working to create Dream A Little Dream, changes made to the ending, the reception of the film and more.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.
- TV Spots: A minute-long collection of TV Spots are provided here.
- Still Gallery: A five-minute collection of images from the production of the film are included here.
Final Thoughts
Dream A Little Dream is a bit of an oddball in the pantheon of body-swap films from decades past, but it is not entirely without its charms. The story is one that appears to be striving to achieve a greater pathos than many of its ilk, which it does reach to mixed results. The performances are all fairly entertaining, especially the older members of the cast. This is the type of movie that if that cast and premise sound interesting enough to you, it is worth giving a shot. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a new Blu-Ray through their Vestron Video Collector’s Series featuring a passable A/V presentation and a nice array of special features. If you are a fan of the film, this is a pleasing package at a good price. Recommended
Dream A Little Dream is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
