La ragazza dei sogni

Dexter Fletcher stars as Charles Highway. A young man with serious problems with relationships. Until he meets Rachel Noyce(Ione Syke). A sexy, young woman, whose boyfriend is none other than James Spader.

Fletcher is adequate in his post 'Lock Stock' career, but the person who steals every scene with his unusual style of comedy, is Jonathon Pryce, as Charles' brother in law, Norman.

The story is somewhat predictable in parts, but manages to stay watchable for the entire time. Rating=3/5

A-ha, a guide to the do's and don'ts of dating on the big screen.

I've always liked Martin Amis' works, and 1974's The Rachel Papers was his first novel, and still one of his best. Despite the fact that this 1989 film adaptation has now become something of a cult classic in the UK, however, I doubt Amis would have approved of it had it been laid before him prior to it's release.

There's a host of famous faces in this film, including Dexter Fletcher, Bill Patterson (albeit briefly), James Spader, Michael Gambon (in cameo) and Jonathan Pryce. Why they chose ex-Gamesmaster host from the post-Dominik Diamond days Dexter Fletcher (also known for his roles in Press Gang, Bugsy Malone and Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels) as the cocky, arrogant, obnoxious, precocious, phenomenally intelligent and highly sexed-up Charles Highway I'll never know, as he is simply too self-conscious for the part. Ione Skye, equally, made a none-too-good job out of what was, in fairness, the very difficult task of playing the seductive Rachel Noyce. That said, few male viewers would object to the chance of seeing the attractive Skye naked in any film, while Fletcher's charm, wit, and posturing do show sporadically, but not often enough. Dexter Fletcher (or Dexter Dipsh*t as 'Godspeed You Black Emperor' rather unkindly calls him) has had a lot of bad press over the years, but he is actually a far better actor than many people give him credit for, but he simply wasn't suited for the lovable rogue he aspired to be in 'The Rachel Papers' - Matthew Broderick or Gordon John-Sinclair would have been a better choice for the part.

The acting is not totally without merit; Jonathan Pryce is absolutely hilarious in his portrayal of Charles' lunatic brother-in-law Norman and revels in the role, while (the then-unknown) Jared Harris is excellent as Charles' best mate - and mentor/big brother figure - Geoff, but the rest of the cast simply look uninspired. Bill Patterson, Michael Gambon and James Spader are, unquestionably, all very talented actors (although Patterson and - in particular - Spader were both very poor in this film) - why weren't they utilised more?

The film does boast some very typically 80s music and visuals (a la "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", "WarGames", "Back To The Future", "The Breakfast Club", "Gregory's Girl" etc.), which are a godsend for anyone who likes their retro 80s backdrops. Despite what 'Godspeed You Black Emperor' says, the fact that a film displays seemingly incessant 80s music and backdrops is not necessarily a bad thing in itself; after all, the film came out in 1989 and was aimed aimed at a contemporary teen audience, so just what was he expecting - that it would be set in the 1800s or something?!

The opening titles give more than a nod towards those featured in the first "Back To The Future" film, but there is some cool incidental music, plus the soundtrack boasts Willy DeVille's lovely tear-jerker "Assassin Of Love", the seductive "Electric Moon" and the sassy "You Made Me", both by Shakespeare's Sister, and Jools Holland's catchy "We're Through", which plays as the closing credits roll.

All in all, however, this film fails to recapture the spirit of Martin Amis' original novel. In summary - quite good in parts, and a noble effort to bring Martin Amis' finest work to the big screen, but falls too much into mediocrity overall.

It's nowhere near as catastrophic as 'Godspeed You Black Emperor's very harsh review makes it out to be (bearing in mind that he described it as an "embarassing train-wreck of a movie" despite then going on to admit to not having watched the whole film, which to my mind makes his comments count for very little), but there's no way it will ever be held in the same high regard as any of the other classic 80s films I've name-checked in this review.

As an aside - Notably, Dexter Fletcher took an enormous amount of criticism for trying to copy Matthew Broderick's style of monologuing to the camera in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". However, in his defence, the original novel was told from the point of view of a narrator describing physical as well as emotional experiences in a format not unlike a diary, therefore it is difficult to think of any other way that he could possibly have played Charles Highway. In this respect, the Bueller-isms could have been (and quite possibly were) accidental and unintentional. Aside from the monologuing and the fact that both films have a scene set in a gallery, "The Rachel Papers" is otherwise not even remotely similar to "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", although Fletcher's skill on a computer does evoke memories of a another Matthew Broderick film ("WarGames").

A delight indeed, albeit a little dated now. 8 years ago, this was one of those movies I watched every day almost (along with the Breakfast Club) - hey, I was 19. It deals with what the main character calls his "move into manhood" and centres around Dexter Fletchers character and his "love", Ione Skye.

Martin Amis' novel of the same title is fairly faithfully painted onto the screen, though with tweaks to bring us from the 60's novel to the 80's movie (i.e. less drugs and sex!).

For a British movie, a top cast, excellent acting, memorable script, unusual and racy direction...8/10 today, 10/10 when I was 19!

Despite being a little predictable at times, this solid little movie succeeds rather well. Both Fletcher and Skye give wonderful performances as the leads, and Pryce is fun every time he is on the screen. It has a good mix of comedy and drama, and at no point did any of the emotional turns seem out of place. I had been wanting to see this film for some ten years before finally seeing it tonight, and I am very pleased that I took the time to watch it.

Despite some fine performances and great source material, this movie doesn't stand up as well as I'd hoped it would. It's either too dark and serious for the comedy it hopes to be or it's too gauzy for the serious look at modern teenagers in Britain that it hopes to be.

Still, it's interesting to see Dexter "did you know I was in Bugsy Malone AND Lock, Stock & 2 Smoking Barrells" Fletcher, Ione "wow, am I really this naked in this movie" Skye, Jonathon "why aren't I working more often?" Pryce and James "didn't I play this same character only with more lines in Pretty in Pink" Spader in a movie that hardly any American has ever heard of...

This has its clever moments, its funny moments, its heartbreaking moments and a few moments that are meant to be (and are) disturbing... It's not as clever as its American cousin, or as funny...but it does have a bit more depth...and Ione Skye is REALLY naked in it.

That's worth a rental, isn't it?