Sweet Dreams

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!

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.

.. the F words start at the outset, and get more numerous in the first half hour. (At which point I quit). Too bad, because the poor 'leading character trying to reform for a good purpose' can be a fun premise (goes back at least to CAT BALLOU 1965, for which Lee Marvin won an Oscar). I am sorry to say that Script Writers should just write meaningful stories, and Actors should just act, instead of spouting out this trash.

Thats all I want to say, but IMDB insists on 600 words, which is silly really, since some flicks csn be summed up in 300, good or bad.

Finally, a word to the Producer: casting was superb! These guys looked tough snd beaten down. You didn't need the profanity.

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.