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Movies / On DVD / What Dreams May Come
What Dreams May Come

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What Dreams May Come (1998)

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Reviews Counted:66

Fresh:36

Rotten:30

Average Rating:5.6/10

Consensus: An insubstantial plot overshadows the beautiful, surreal scenery.

Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Four years after the tragic death of their children in a car accident, Dr. Chris Nielsen (Robin Williams) is estranged from his wife, Annie (Annabella Sciora), a painter who finds solace in deep... Four years after the tragic death of their children in a car accident, Dr. Chris Nielsen (Robin Williams) is estranged from his wife, Annie (Annabella Sciora), a painter who finds solace in deep and mystical expressionist landscapes. When flustered Annie calls him for support, he rushes out to help and is killed in a road accident. His ghost is greeted by an old mentor, Albert (Cuba Gooding Jr.), who leads him in Ghost-of-Christmas-Past-style to Annie's side. But when Chris realizes that his adherence to the corporeal world is torture to himself and the living Annie, he breaks free of his Earthly bonds and dives into the visual smorgasbord that is the afterlife. There he splashes though clouds and gobs of technicolor paint in breathtaking landscapes suggested to him by Annie's paintings. From there, to grandiose Romanesque cities of flying children, Chris and his old dog are met by a gorgeous stewardess, who reveals herself as a nearly forgotten face from his past. As Chris reconciles with his children in a world where imagination is his palette, in the real world Annie becomes sicker and sicker, and finally enters the afterlife herself. Due to the myriad rules of the Other Side, she is unable to join Chris or her children, and Chris begins a fight for his future with his soul mate. [More]

Starring: Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding, Annabella Sciorra, Max Von Sydow

Starring: Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding, Annabella Sciorra, Max Von Sydow, Rosalind Chao

Director: Vincent Ward

Director: Vincent Ward
Screenwriter: Ronald Bass
Composer: Michael Kamen

[See More Credits]

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Release:

May 25, 1999

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for What Dreams May Come

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1 - 20 (sorted by source)
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This ambitious afterlife romance introduces provoking themes, but Williams eventually leads the way back to familiar hackneyed ground. The grandiose art direction provides moments of wonder, but the muddled script gives them no raison d'être.

comment Comment
08/11/03
Carlo Cavagna
Carlo Cavagna
AboutFilm.com

Unfortunately, this movie is much less than the sum of its inspirational parts.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide

Here's what's wrong with giant movie screens: You can fill them with extreme close-ups of Robin Williams' face!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Fenster
Bob Fenster
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A stunningly original visual journey to heaven, hell, and beyond.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Has two things going for it--its spectacular, Academy Award-nominated special effects and the fact that it ends. Everything else about this ridiculous, three-hanky film sends it sharply into nightmare.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment 1 Comment
08/19/07
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

The afterlife movie soars to new visionary heights in 'What Dreams May Come.'

comment Comment
01/01/00
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix

For all its deep thinking and strong feelings, What Dreams May Come suffers from an overwhelming banality.

Full Review Source: Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus

`What Dreams May Come' is so breathtaking, so beautiful, so bold in its imagination!

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As rare and odd, and visually breathtaking, as modern filmmaking gets!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

For all its fabulous imagery and occasional dab-your-eyes moments, What Dreams May Come never rises to the wonderment of its own irresistible conviction -- that love can live beyond the grave.

Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer

A treasure of the imagination; a spectrum that reminds us that anything is possible when you are making movies.

Full Review Source: Cinemaphile.org | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Keyes
David Keyes
Cinemaphile.org

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinematter | comment Comment
01/01/00
Madeleine Williams
Madeleine Williams
Cinematter

A visual blast.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Paul Tatara
Paul Tatara
CNN.com

Aside from having one of the worst titles in recent film memory, "What Dreams May Come" fails by trying to be all things to all people.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
05/20/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

You'll rarely unearth another film with such visual imagination and glorious use of color.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
01/01/00
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

"What Dreams May Come" is a like an abstract painting, full of vivid brushstrokes that hint at deeper meaning.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Karen Hershenson
Karen Hershenson
Contra Costa Times

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
03/14/05
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons

Not to say that this disappointing romantic fantasy is derivative, but it seems more like a hodge-podge assembly of scenes from other movies than a cohesive feature film.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

In both concept and execution, they testify to painfully banal sensibilities.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment 1 Comment
01/01/00
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source)
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