Dream a Little Dream (film)
A body-swap comedy-drama starring the Two Coreys.
Dream a Little Dream is a 1989 American film that blends fantasy, romance, comedy, and drama. Directed by Marc Rocco, it stars Corey Feldman, Corey Haim, Meredith Salenger, Jason Robards, Piper Laurie, and Harry Dean Stanton. The movie was shot in Wilmington, North Carolina. It marked the third on-screen pairing of Feldman and Haim, a duo often nicknamed "The Two Coreys." A direct-to-video sequel, *Dream a Little Dream 2*, came out in 1995. The film was a critical failure and performed poorly at the box office.
The story follows Bobby Keller, a high-school slacker who, while cutting through a neighbor's yard one night, crashes into Lainie Diamond, a girl he has been obsessing over. At that moment, elderly professor Coleman Ettinger and his wife Gena are in the same yard, attempting a meditation experiment. Their goal is to enter a voluntary alpha state together so they can live forever. The teens' collision knocks all four unconscious and triggers a body swap. Bobby wakes up in his own body but is actually Coleman, who has no memory of Bobby's life. Coleman leaves to find Gena but fails, then returns to Bobby's home and pretends to be him, hoping sleep will reveal what went wrong. In a dream, Coleman meets the real Bobby, who is trapped in a dream shaped by Coleman's subconscious. Bobby explains that Gena, who was skeptical of the experiment, is also stuck in the dream but cannot communicate because part of her mind now resides in Lainie's body. Bobby warns Coleman that Gena's memories of him are fading, and she may be lost forever. Bobby knows how to reverse the switch but is reluctant to help, preferring his new dream world to his troubled real life. Coleman, stuck as Bobby for a few days, must navigate high school, bullies, Lainie's violent boyfriend Joel, and her bitter divorced mother. He works to improve Bobby's grades, relationships, and connection with Lainie, hoping to convince her to recreate the meditation experiment and save his wife.
The soundtrack mixes 1980s rock and classic songs. Michael Damian's cover of David Essex's "Rock On" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1989, boosted by a music video featuring the film's leads. Mickey Thomas, lead singer of Starship, recorded the title theme and a duet version with Mel Tormé. Thomas also appears in the film as teacher Mr. Pattison. The track list includes "Dream a Little Dream of
- Release year
- 1989
- Director
- Marc Rocco
- Starring
- Corey Feldman, Corey Haim, Meredith Salenger, Jason Robards, Piper Laurie, Harry Dean Stanton
- Genre
- Fantasy-romantic comedy-drama
- Filmed in
- Wilmington, North Carolina
- Box office
- Domestic gross around $5,500,000
- Critical reception
- 9% on Rotten Tomatoes; 32 out of 100 on Metacritic
Lore & Background
The plot follows Bobby Keller, a slacker high school student who collides with Lainie Diamond while running through a backyard. At the same moment, elderly professor Coleman Ettinger and his wife Gena are performing a meditation experiment in the yard. The collision renders both teens unconscious and triggers a body switch among the four characters: Coleman wakes up in Bobby's body, while Gena's mind is partially transferred to Lainie's body. Bobby himself becomes trapped in a dream world generated by Coleman's subconscious.
Reader's Guide
Dream a Little Dream is notable as the third film to feature Corey Feldman and Corey Haim together, cementing their on-screen partnership as 'The Two Coreys'. Despite its star power, the film was a critical and commercial failure, earning a 9% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a domestic gross of only about $5.5 million. Roger Ebert gave it half a star, calling the plot 'a disorganized mess.' The soundtrack included Michael Damian's cover of 'Rock On,' which reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. A direct-to-video sequel, Dream a Little Dream 2, was released in 1995.
Did You Know?
- The film was shot in Wilmington, North Carolina.
- Michael Damian's cover of 'Rock On' from the soundtrack reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- Mickey Thomas, lead singer of Starship, appears in the film as teacher Mr. Pattison.
- A direct-to-video sequel, Dream a Little Dream 2, was released in 1995.
More in Films about body swapping 1-24
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