Too often Jaglom's touch is slightly off, piling up a mountain of absurdist scenes rife with oddball, "human" behavior that tests viewer patience.
Comment
05/23/07
Hollywood Dreams (2007)
38
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:26
Fresh:10
Rotten:16
Average Rating:5.2/10
Consensus: Yet another film about a small town girl trying to make it in the City of Angels, Hollywood Dreams' improvisation and absurdity tests viewers' patience.
Theatrical Release:May 25, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $89,200
Synopsis: Newcomer Tanna Frederick stars alongside Justin Kirk in this story of a Hollywood wannabe. Arriving in LA from Iowa with big dreams of stardom, Margie (Frederick) embarks on a heartbreaking and... [More]
Starring: Tanna Frederick, Justin Kirk, Karen Black, Melissa Chessington Leo
Director: Henry Jaglom
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Reviews for Hollywood Dreams
Makes late night infomercials seem exciting by comparison.
05/18/07
The biggest problem is inexperienced lead Tanna Frederick, who overplays every scene.
05/25/07
This might play funnier and less off-putting were if Frederick's Margie was not so disquietingly desperate.
05/18/07
Another clumsy Jaglom vanity project that's as grating as fingernails on a blackboard.
06/26/07
The balance of this indie production (Jaglom's 14th) consists of his usual weakly improvised relationship comedy.
06/07/07
This film is too out there for a strong recommendation.
06/12/07
Better pruning and different choices might have helped to shape the film into a more cohesive piece, instead of one so desperate to be funny that it sacrifices its honesty.
05/18/07
Top CriticThis take on the classic story of an ingenue trying to make her way in the City of Angels is no pleasure -- not when the ingenue is Margie Chizek (Tanna Frederick).
05/16/07
It's the Hollywood dream factory as seen through [director] Jaglom's lens, and it's often out of focus.
06/08/07
The movie caves in on the issue of charm.
06/01/07
Top CriticThe director lets actors do their thing, to a fault, which makes Frederick's blitzkrieg of a performance often off-putting but occasionally mesmerizing.
05/30/07
Amateurishly put together and reverently self-referential it's hard to imagine this movie having much appeal for anyone beyond its own cast and crew. Given the apparent size of its budget, though, that's probably enough to make it profitable.
05/25/07
Top CriticAn exceedingly modest comedy an annoying motormouth with almost nothing interesting to say. ... If I ever laughed, I don't remember it.
05/24/07
It's a clunky, slack, directionless film that ultimately heads in a meaningful direction, but makes much of the route there seem unnecessary.
05/17/07
Hollywood Dreams is meant to be an insider's tale, but it feels like it comes from the cinema of hangers-on.
05/25/07
I've been among the unbelievers, but Hollywood Dreams turned me around -- to a point. Perhaps it's because the film is among Jaglom's best, love him or leave him.
07/06/07
Top CriticThis is a quirky little movie that may have some people heading for the exits before the first 15 minutes have passed.
06/12/07
Knowing but never jaded, Hollywood Dreams is driven by Ms. Frederick's no-boundaries commitment to her broken character, a performance that's as startling as it is touching.
05/25/07
Top CriticLike John Cassavetes and Martin Scorsese, Jaglom knows how to push a scene into realms of such emotional nakedness that the viewer starts to feel like a voyeur looking in on relationships that are none of his or her business.
05/18/07
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