Last Trip

Dream With The Fishes accomplishes what so many small independent films fail to do: it adheres to the reliable simplicity of storyline and character without getting bogged down in gimmickry or its own cleverness.

The casting and performances are perfect - it's a shame that David Arquette has disappeared into his wife's shadow - his performance as self-loathing/suicidal Terry is the perfect foil for Brad Hunt's desperate and free-spirited Nick. Both actors are brilliant in this film yet they've both remained relatively obscure in the years since it's release.

Perhaps Finn Taylor's direction has a lot to do with it. Aside from the performances he wrangles from his actors, Dream With The Fishes is also beautifully filmed, from the shots and camera angles to the lighting and even film stock he chooses for different moments to highlight shifts in character and story.

Add to this a haunting soundtrack (which I can thank for my introduction to Nick Drake) and you have a charming, heart-breaking, inspiring ride that serves both as an entertaining couple of hours viewing and a fine example for aspiring filmmakers.

I've finally had the chance to watch this lost indie gem, having wanted to do it for almost ten years, since I read a brief review about it on a Brazilian magazine. It was worth the wait, and I wish more people had at least heard about this film.

Finn Taylor (who recently directed the disappointing "The Darwin Awards") co-wrote and directed the bizarre story of Terry (David Arquette), a suicidal voyeur who's saved by Nick (Brad Hunt), a terminally ill man, as he's about to jump off a bridge. Nick offers Terry a weird deal: Terry will help him fulfill some of his fantasies before he dies, and in return, Nick will either make Terry the beneficiary of his life insurance, or... he'll kill Terry.

David Arquette is not the comic relief he usually plays, here. His Terry is pathetic, depressed and a little ditzy, but ultimately humane and believable. Brad Hunt is a delight to watch as Nick, and it makes you wonder why didn't he become a bigger name. Cathy Moriarty, as Nick's aunt, has one of her best moments since her Oscar nominated début in "Raging Bull" (and I don't even like that performance as much as most people do). The soundtrack is fantastic and eclectic. Even though we've seen similar stories before, the chemistry of Arquette and Hunt and the witty script makes "Dream with the Fishes" quite above the average. 8.5/10.

....Which really isn't saying much, I suppose. But in this film, he actually ACTS, instead of his usual mugging. The premise of this movie intrigued me--a suicidal guy makes a strange pact with a terminally ill guy--and the first half is bizarre and wonderful. In the end, it got to be a bit drawn-out, and the marriage by the bedside was a little too contrived for my taste. But I wondered what happened to Cathy Moriarty and the girl from Rich in Love (the one with the black hair); they must be pretty picky as they don't get many roles. This film was unique enough to hold my attention and those who liked Buffalo 66 will probably eat it up. Another strange performance from character actor J.E. Freeman to boot.

I hope you are all as tired as I am of seeing the same repetition of trite films that we are bombarded with. Your local blockbuster new release wall is a shrine full of such poor excuses for film making. When you have a medium so rich and so full of posibilites it is sad to have to suffer through such recycled garbage or non stop toilet humor. This film does neither. This is a movie that for a change explores something that should be meaningful to all of us, life. It does not do it in a cynical and overly oh I am trying to be clever way like The Last Supper. Rather this film has a philosophy and does not cop out like say City of Angels where Nicholas Cage decides who cares if God doesn't care as long as I can go swimming naked. Sure the actors are not the best but then Top Flight actors do not play peeping Tom perverts or dying hill billies for the most part. What you do get is a good story that is worth your while. It is listed as a comedy but film's like this defy genre because it is a story. It is a story with its own points and messages that is not carefully placed into a three act dramatic structure. Go watch October Sky if you want heart warming.

Off course this movie hasn't got the most original story. It has similarities with films like Harold and Maude, Freeway or Mad love. But despite of the fact that it isn't original, it still remains (in my opinion) a beautiful little gem. The music was great and David Arquette, Brad Hunt and Kathryn Erbe (and the others) showed some nice acting. I'm glad I had the opportunity to see this film!