Sweet Dreams

Yes I did go into this blind! I thought it would be in a similar vein to other Knoxville movies but it was a very sombre drama. But there was no spark, where was the soundtrack? Music would have made this movie much better and a few good jokes! Why wasn't there any jokes? Theo and Bobby Lee and no jokes? Doesn't make sense I know it's a depressing story but come on it needed some spark! Was a hard watch for me but I didn't turn it off at least!

I feel all the people who have left negative reviews expected it to be something that it wasnt. The trailer and plot summary never lead you to believe it was gonna be anything other than what it was. They saw it starred Johnny Knoxville and they expected it to be a raunchy comedy like jackass. With fellow comedians like Bobby Lee and Theo Vonn it perpetuated that thinking as well.

Its sad thats the case because its a very sweet tender drama with some comedy spread throughout. If you are a fan of softball or baseball you will enjoy it even more. Johnny knoxville does a good job with the dramatic role and I wish his reputation for outrageous comedy didnt hurt people feelings about the movie because they expected something else.

If you know its not gonna be jackass you will be pleasantly surprised and will probably enjoy the 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.

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.

Where to start?

Let's start with Bobby Lee floating round this film looking like a marshmallow that got lucky on the lip of a rejection bin. Meaning he looks like a marshmallow that has been rolling around the factory floor in dust, pubes & dirt for 50 years.

His acting is laughably bad; which is a blessing. And when he isn't trying to act he's just being Bobby Lee. Theo Von shows promise.

The film itself, is too, and and and, instead of, so but so. This means it fails to really engage. It's just too choppy. At the very least throw in a few fade shots. Make the transition smooth.

But the film is not terrible. It watches like a practice run. With a bit more skill the film could have been very good.