Dream Machine

This week, I just thought it would be fun to catch up with Corey Haim, with just having seen the two "Lost Boys" films last week and all. Not that I'm a fan-boy - not by far - but I did like those two Coreys in some films back in my early teen days.

So, I prepared myself for three films starring him. Unfortunately, I picked "Dream Machine" as a first (never seen it before), and it was so godawfully horrible, I just decided to lock Corey back in my closet and let him sober up again first, before I pop in something else of his. But I managed to struggle my way through this film first. I had the impression it desperately wanted to play in the same league as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986) but got caught up in its own delusions. Practically the whole film it wants to be a comedy and near the end it hopelessly tries to be a thriller. The only good thing about "Dream Machine" is the premise: A dead body in the trunk of a Porsche. All the rest fails so badly, it's embarrassing. Even the most for Haim. I can dig him being his young, enthusiastic self, but at least when he comes with some form of directorial guidelines. This clearly wasn't the case in "Dream Machine". So, we have a perfect car, yes, that black Porsche. Haim's perfect girlfriend? Just a blonde chick who hardly has any lines in the film. The perfect murder... almost? Some dude that falls flat on his ass as the villain of the film, trying the whole movie to steal the body back out of the trunk, never really succeeds, and then at the end of the film thinks he's Michael Myers (minus the white William Shatner mask) and mistakes Corey Haim for Jamie Lee Curtis. Don't think they could have made this flick any lamer if they tried. A stupid, unfunny film with a story that leads to nowhere directed by a director that doesn't know how to direct his cast. Great accomplishment!

One last question for Mr. Haim: Who's idea was it to have you smile directly into the camera in that last shot of the movie? Yours or the director's? So not done.

I'm a big Porsche fan, and the car was the best star in this film.

Haim, the now dried up drug abusing child star of the 80's is bland as per usual, and commenting on back up from minor characters/actors would be pointless; needless to say they were all very average. It's a cool movie as a trip down memory lane into the 80's - with some weird clothes, some good shots of the Colorado backdrop and a very harmless albeit mind numbing plot.

All in all, please don't waste your time watching this unless you love 80's movies, Corey Haim, or like myself, love old school Porsches (this one in particular looks great) because life's too short to watch crappy movies.

My review was written in September 1991 after watching the film on Live video cassette.

Wish fulfillment is the theme of this energetic feature, mainly a video title but released theatrically in September in Miami and Denver."Risky Business" clone plays well and should rent well.

With "Fast Getaway" and "Prayer of the Rollerboys" also recently to his credit, Corey Haim makes a convincing young hero in this light action-comedy. Here he's a college freshman in Colorado (pic was made in Utah) who is suffering fraternity hazing.

Highly unlikely plot line has Haim receive the gift of a new Porschee fro Susan Seaforth Hayes after he tunes her piano. Car was a gift to her philandering husband (Jeremy Slate), and Hayes gives the dream machine away in spite.

Their son-in-law, one-dimensional villain Randall England, has murdered Slate after being caught embezzling from their family firm and stashed the corpse in the Porsche's trunk. All hell breaks out as he chases Haim around town trying to get the car (and evidence) back.

As with Tom Cruise in "Risky Business" and the imitative Matthew Broderick hit "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", the premise here is identification with a young hero in possession of a fabulous car while parents are away. Haim uses the vehicle to impress would-be girlfriend Brittney Lewis and to escape handily from both the relentless heavy England and frat pranksters led by Tracy Fraim.

Given a light touch by filmmaker Lyman Dayton, the package is a pleasant diversion. Topicality of pic's key subplot concerning dangerous hazing practice is sidestepped as Fraim successfully humanizes his role.

Cast is solid, with dreamgirl Lewis a striking new face. Stunts and production values are good.

1991 marked the year Corey Haim disappeared from mainstream films and started running around in cheap B-movies consisting of more or less silly action and a pretty girl or two. Dream Machine was his second such film of the year, after Fast Getaway, and granted, it's actually a step up from that one. The plot is moronic, but the film is a puerile and not altogether unengaging celebration of the ultimate fantasies of male youth: pretty girls, fast cars, and pranks. The scenes involving Haim's frat boys liven things up and constitute a fun contrast to the perversely sombre Randall England as the antagonist Lance. Haim does well enough with what he has to work with, and although he and Brittney Lewis look like an unlikely couple at first, the young Canadian has the charisma to make you believe he could woo her.

Just to start, previous people who write critical reviews should at least have the decency of getting the character names correct (Its Barry, not Bernie)

I have only ever liked Corey Haim in films such as A Time to Live, Lucas and Silver Bullet, however this film is simply made to be entertaining and to appeal to a target audience of teenage girls!! I have watched this film and the most entertaining character was Lance (the embezzler) his frantic attempts to recover the car and the body in the trunk really are very entertaining. So even if your not a fan of Corey Haim, watch it just for the character Lance!!