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Electric Dreams

  • 1984
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 35m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
11K
YOUR RATING
Virginia Madsen and Lenny von Dohlen in Electric Dreams (1984)
An artificially intelligent PC and his human owner find themselves in a romantic rivalry over a woman.
Play trailer2:25
1 Video
70 Photos
ComedyDramaMusicRomanceSci-Fi

A young man buys a computer that accidentally becomes sentient and begins to turn its affections toward the man's attractive female neighbor.A young man buys a computer that accidentally becomes sentient and begins to turn its affections toward the man's attractive female neighbor.A young man buys a computer that accidentally becomes sentient and begins to turn its affections toward the man's attractive female neighbor.

  • Director
    • Steve Barron
  • Writer
    • Rusty Lemorande
  • Stars
    • Lenny von Dohlen
    • Virginia Madsen
    • Maxwell Caulfield
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    11K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Steve Barron
    • Writer
      • Rusty Lemorande
    • Stars
      • Lenny von Dohlen
      • Virginia Madsen
      • Maxwell Caulfield
    • 107User reviews
    • 52Critic reviews
    • 52Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 2 wins & 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:25
    Trailer

    Photos70

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    + 64
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    Top cast32

    Edit
    Lenny von Dohlen
    Lenny von Dohlen
    • Miles
    Virginia Madsen
    Virginia Madsen
    • Madeline
    Maxwell Caulfield
    Maxwell Caulfield
    • Bill
    Bud Cort
    Bud Cort
    • Edgar
    • (voice)
    Don Fellows
    Don Fellows
    • Mr. Ryley
    Alan Polonsky
    Alan Polonsky
    • Frank
    Wendy Miller
    • Computer Clerk
    Harry Rabinowitz
    Harry Rabinowitz
    • Conductor
    Miriam Margolyes
    Miriam Margolyes
    • Ticket Girl
    Holly de Jong
    • Ryley's Receptionist
    • (as Holly De Jong)
    Stella Maris
    • Woman at Airport
    Mary Doran
    • Millie
    Diana Choy
    • Check-Out Girl
    Jim Steck
    • Removal Man
    Gary Pettinger
    • Removal Man
    Bob Coffey
    • Removal Man
    Mac McDonald
    Mac McDonald
    • Removal Man
    Regina Waldon
    • Neighbor
    • (as Regina Walden)
    • Director
      • Steve Barron
    • Writer
      • Rusty Lemorande
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews107

    6.410.7K
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    Featured reviews

    7cool_cool_1

    Good fun, original 80's love comedy!!!

    Electric Dreams (1984) is a good fun film about a geeky office worker Miles Harding who has problems with his organisation skills and buys a computer to help him out.

    Meanwhile Miles has a new neighbour in the form of Madeline (Madsen), Miles soon falls in love with Madeline and the pair start dating.

    Everything seems to be going OK for Miles but there is a problem, his COMPUTER!!!! The Computer called Edgar is alive and jealous of the relationship, he too has fallen in love with Madeline and will do anything to wreck the relationship, he wants Madeline all to himself, funny stuff!!! The film has a really good 80's feel about it and has a brilliant soundtrack, the film itself would be average but it's a lot better than average thanks to the computer. Edgar the computer makes this movie a winner and a guilty pleasure!!! Highly recommended for fans of 80's movies, 7/10 for Electric Dreams.
    7theadamtron

    Electric Dreams, - Campy, 80's Lovable Romantic Computer Fantasy

    This movie is about an architect living in San Francisco that buys a computer to help organize his life. Thanks to a unwanted computer overload and champagne spillage develops a mind of its own. This results in havoc between Miles and his neighbor Madeline who develop a relationship. Soon the three are involved in a love triangle between man, woman and machine.

    This movie a great soundtrack with Culture Club and Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder0. The films style has a zippy pace and feels like watching a long music video. This aspect of the film hasn't dated, however some of the technology has which is fun to look back and view.

    Overall, this is a lovable romantic computer fantasy and has a soft spot in my heart.
    8GuyCC

    An enjoyable, yet hard to find movie.

    Electric Dreams is a quirky '80's film that has remained one of my favorites from that decade. The story of a boy, a girl, and a computer trying to find the meaning of love could have easily been a ridiculously campy movie, but instead is played out with a lighthearted sincerity. Lenny Von Dolen's portrayal of architect Miles Harding is done well, conveying the feelings of insecurity and wonder of falling in love for the first time, and Virginia Madsen's performance as would-be girlfriend Madeline equally shines. The movie is shot more like a music video (Director Steve Barron also worked on Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" video), and while there have been plenty of films that have used similar "MTV-style" techniques in the '90's, this was an unpioneered format at the time, and it seems to work the best here. The set design is great, the scene pacing doesn't drag on, and the sentiment is in the right place so that viewers can laugh at the humorous parts and relate during the romantic scenes. The music soundtrack is also top-notch, with music from Culture Club, Jeff Lynne, Heaven 17 and Giorgio Moroder. The computer technology and the commercials set this movie firmly in the early '80's, which may make it seem a little dated, but the overall story still holds up well and is fun. Electric Dreams is an enjoyable romantic fantasy that a lot of people may have missed when it was first released (even more so since the film seems to be out of print), but for those wanting to see something a little different, this may be what you've been looking for.
    8lee_eisenberg

    computer life

    Steve Barron's "Electric Dreams" will almost certainly be one of the hardest movies to find, but if you can you should definitely check it out. It got released around the time when computers were starting to become part of everyone's lives, and it seems to be predicting just how much these devices would come to dominate our lives. Lenny Von Dohlen (never heard of him until I saw this movie) plays an architect who buys a computer to get better organized, but an unexpected event turns the thing into a sillier version of HAL...especially after the owner falls for his musician neighbor (a young Virginia Madsen).

    At once piece of light entertainment and a look at relationships, this movie does it just right. Some scenes are probably just comic relief, like the concert, but the computer does teach the man a good lesson about life. You're bound to love what the computer does in the movie's last scene.

    All in all, a really fun movie. I can't believe that it's out of print while tons of boring movies get special edition DVDs. Definitely check it out if you can. Watch for a young Miriam Margolyes as a ticket taker.
    7FilmStalker

    Don't upset your computer

    This movie is rather funny and like some of the other viewers, the main song has stuck with me since the movie was first released. One point this movie tried to make is that there can never be enough montages. Without all the musical montages in this movie, the film would have lasted only thirty-minutes or so. Anyway, if your in the mood for a movie with a strange love triangle that doesn't involve questioning a characters sexuality, watch this.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      As the voice of the computer, Bud Cort had to deliver his entire performance from inside a box on the set; his co-stars were never allowed to see him during filming. The director was afraid that if the other performers associated a person to the voice, they would react to it as if they were talking to a human being instead of a computer and the difference in reaction would show on camera.
    • Goofs
      In the final sequence when the theme song "Together In Electric Dreams" is being played, a person carrying an '80s boom box-styled hi-fi walks past; in the reflection of the tape deck of the hi-fi the crew and equipment are visible.
    • Quotes

      Miles Harding: "You can play it for her, you can play it for me."

      Edgar: What?

      Miles Harding: Play it, Sam.

      Edgar: What key?

      Miles Harding: Your favorite.

      Edgar: You want verses first, or the choruses?

      Miles Harding: Any way you like.

      Edgar: Yeah!

      [instrumental bridge of Jeff Lynne's song "Video" plays]

      Edgar: [singing] Hug, hold, squeeze and lick / Darling, I love you to bits / And I want to see your tits.

    • Crazy credits
      After the closing credits have run, a multicolored question mark appears in the lower right corner of the screen with a computer-like sound. After this, the line "ELECTRIC DREAMS FINISHED" appears in green at the upper left corner. The question mark is replaced by the line "no more?" Then the green text is replaced by "TIME TO DISCONNECT". Both then disappear, and multicolored letters appear near the center of the screen reading "THE NED". The "N" is quickly deleted, the "E" moved over, and the "N" is reinserted to properly spell "THE END". As this disappears, Edgar's voice is heard laughing, and he says "H-hello? Hello? Good-goodbye."
    • Alternate versions
      When it aired on HBO, the opening card sequence identifying it as a Virgin Films production was removed and replaced with one for MGM with Leo the MGM Lion roaring twice during the opening music.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Neverending Story/The Last Starfighter/Electric Dreams/That Sinking Feeling (1984)
    • Soundtracks
      Electric Dreams
      Performed by P.P. Arnold

      Composed by Boy George (as George O'Dowd) and Phil Pickett

      Produced by Don Was

      ©1984 Virgin Music (publishers) Limited/Warner Bros. Music Limited

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 17, 1985 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La belle et l'ordinateur
    • Filming locations
      • Twickenham Studios, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK(Studio, Miles and Madeline's apartment interiors)
    • Production company
      • Virgin
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,193,612
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,009,586
      • Jul 22, 1984
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,193,612
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 35m(95 min)
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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