Sweet Dreams

In modest but effective LA addiction drama "Sweet Dreams" big-time music-video director Johnny Knoxville (great - playing it straight) hits rock-bottom with his alcoholism, so checks into Mohammed Amer's titular low-brow rehab house where aided by fellow addicts (including Jay Mohr (good), Theo Von, Kate Upton, Bobby Lee, Brian Van Holt & Gata) & the focus of an admittedly implausible softball tournament, he changes the direction of his life. In his third film as director (and the second that he also wrote) Lije Sarki gets his point across with a refreshing edge of authenticity while avoiding the usual cheesie genre clichés. This is a solid yet understated film.

I was looking for something light-hearted and entertaining to watch. Maybe with a few feels and some laughs. The trailer made me think of Major League but toned down and a little more staid. It was not that at all but am very glad of it.

I got a lot more. It turns out Johnny Knoxville can turn in a very good performance. Coupled with a great supporting cast that seemed to be directed almost as if ad-libbed. The scripting and end result is great.

Knoxville plays Morris, who we find staying at a rehabilitation house attempting to get his life back by way of coaching his fellow housemates in a softball competition. The comedy is balanced well with the serious side of addiction, with a group of diverse but relatable characters. The result is a far more realistic portrayal of recovery without becoming overly dark. I never once thought it was depressing but, through my own experiences, never felt the subject was treated with anything but respect and honesty.

This one surprised me. Not what I was expecting but am very glad I found it.

Man, this flick is getting too low ratings. It's a really warm and believable hour and a half with mostly good acting. Never too much and never boring. I'd actually like it to be a bit longer, that's how much I enjoyed it!

Knoxville does an excellent job and you can really feel the pains he's going through every time he tears up about how he's mistreated his 8 year old daughter. Other fun characters are played by Theo von and Bobby Lee, although Lee is probably the weakest link in the movie, yet he still manages to be quite entertaining. Honorable mentions are Mohammed Amer and Jay Mohr who deliver really solid characters. A feel good movie!

Firstly there are some great acting performances in this film which really caught me by surprise. Johnny Knoxville in some of the more dramatic scenes were pretty good. With that said there are some actors that were just plain awful which is kinda the norm for a film like this.

The plot had its moments that kept it watchable, but also a few that were too forced. I feel like maybe if they added 30 more minutes they would have had a more complex story arch and would have corrected these issues.

Sometimes while watching it felt like a hallmark channel film with all the "sweetness" but the same time the subject and language wouldn't make it as such. Overall I did enjoy but could have been better.

So close to good, but I was just left wanting it to deliver more.

More stories on some of the characters, More Closure of some of the storylines - I just felt like the concept had more to deliver than what it gave us.

There is a lot that's right about the movie. Great characters, good laughs, solid emotions, and i loved the way this felt like it wasn't all filmed on a sound stage/green screen. But it felt like there was more potential here. With great comedians like Bobby Lee and Theo Von in the cast, it felt like it had more laughs and emotions to pull on (and both are sober as well - so experience to draw on.) Kate Upton's character felt like there was more storyline available. There were a number of things where we got a taste of something but it didn't move/resolve/progress - the Diner scenes/story, Kate Upton's character, the music video situation, Garvey's roadtrip, what happened after the game, etc. There were just a bunch of questions that could have been answered and would have raised my enjoyment.

It's thoroughly watchable, with some solid performances from a range of quality actors/personalities, and a decent smattering of laughter and emotion. There's nothing "dumb" about it or cliched - it just felt like it could have been 10 mins longer and given us a lot more, or 10 mins shorter and removed some storylines that didn't go anywhere.