Out of Omaha

Movie "California Dreaming" 2007 (Orig title "Out Of Omaha") 5/10 score

There is this scene where the son says he is afraid to swim in the ocean because sharks might kill him.

Dave Foley, the dad, says, "Statistically speaking, you are much more likely to get killed by your sister, than you are by a shark." LMAO

The movie is similar to "RV" 2006. California Dreaming is about an RV road trip for a vacation. They are to leave Omaha and head for Cal. They never get out of Omaha. There is even a snot nosed teenager in it! There's a fresh twist! The movie is dumb, but kinda likeable too. I just watched it, and it seems like it could have been written better. And, it certainly could have been directed waaaay better. The director, Linda Voorhees, really stinks! The mom person is Lea Thompson. She and Dave Foley make a really sweet, believable couple. // The Bushwacker 11/27/2021.

This was one of the best movies I have ever seen. From amazing character development to incredible script this one has it all. It is a MUST SEE!! Dave Foley is HILARIOUS! I could not get enough of Lea Thompsons performance, she was brilliant. The daughter is funny and crazy and the son plays a gripping portrayal of a misguided youth trying to forget the world around him by surrounding himself in hand held video games. This is a star studded cast and it shows well as this disgruntled family of 4 tries to make their way to Dohini Beach in California for a dream vacation. Unfortunately for them they are thwarted by a run away dog, never ending alarm, pesky police, crazy families, and interesting situations.

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Oh, my Gosh! This has to be the most horrible film I've ever seen in my entire life, and I'm Lea's age! I cannot believe the awful acting. I don't care how dysfunctional the family is supposed to be. The entire movie made me sick. My 13 year-old girl could have written something better than this junk. Such absurdly ridiculous lines and predictable responses from the characters gave me a knot in my stomach and a severe headache. I cannot believe Lea Thompson could make such good movies in her past such as "Back To the Future," and then turn around and play an overbearing, neurotic, judgmental blabber-mouth of a mother. What is happening to her ability to recognize BAD material? If you watch this film and don't get sick, my hat's off to you! I really wanted to cry it was so BAD.

Poor Ginger Gainor, she would love to take her family to a California beach where she vacationed and has the fondest memories of that time. She is an uptight real estate woman who might have the best intentions in wanting to show that part of the country to her family, but little does she realize, no one really wants to go! Her family, though, really enjoy going to Branson, where they feel 'at home' and are surrounded from people like them, so why bother?. Ginger is, what appears to be, a take charge woman, who does everything by the book and even calculates how long they will spend traveling from Omaha to California!

Unfortunately, things don't work the way Ginger wants. Things have a way of happening to her that completely derail her carefully laid plans. Ginger is defeated by everyone and everything, so guess where the family will head, after all? Yes, you guessed it!

What is Lea Thompson doing in this movie? She certainly deserved better. The movie will not add anything to her film career. The idea might have looked better in the written script by Linda Voorhees, who also directed, but alas, it doesn't translate to a fun time at all.

I love films about family dynamics and lost dreams, so California Dreaming (aka Out of Omaha) seemed like a winner. With engaging actors including charismatic "News Radio" alums Dave Foley, the thinking man's comedy icon, and wacky Vicki Lewis; the wonderful Patricia Richardson, winsome and lovable Lea Thompson, and the under-appreciated Ethan Phillips, how could this comedy go wrong?

Incredibly, in so many ways, it's difficult to count. The worst performance of her career, and one that almost broke my heart, was the strange and almost surreal work of Patricia Richardson. In one inappropriate moment after another, she reluctantly chews up the scenery, making me want to disgorge it myself. Tragically, she sort of spoils every scene she's in, and since she intrudes upon the action more and more as the story lurches forward, the film doesn't so much end as screech to a merciful halt.

I kept asking myself, how did these wonderful, wonderful actors get involved in such a mess of a film? The real problem is the script, which forces the cast into doing and saying the most ridiculous and unmotivated things that one can only sit, jaw agape, and wonder what in the world is going on here. Technically, the film looks and sounds quite good, though devoid of any cinematic mercy; the camera lingers on every tiny imperfection in the faces of its aging cast. Other than that, I can't bring myself to list the many offenses against craft, so let's just say avoid this (with the caveat below) and keep your good memories of these actors and wish them well on their next outing. It can only get better from here.

But the buck stops at the directors chair, and that brings up a host of issues. As a director, you have an obligation to keep your actors from making fools of themselves. I wonder if this director learned that lesson in the end. I would hate to be in her shoes right now. How will she ever get another gig? Will she even want to? Maybe there's a film there about lost dreams. (But perhaps someone else should make it.) I just hope that enough people stay away from this film long enough for its cast to resume their careers with a minimum of disruption.

I give the film a 4/10 for its "reality bites" educational value.