L'Amour de mes rêves

Natalie Russo (Katharine McPhee) and Nick Smith (Mike Vogel) are unlucky in love. Jessa (Rachel Skarsten) dumped him and his mother Charlotte (JoBeth Williams) keeps setting him up. The latest is eager Lori Beth. Natalie is struggling to make her restaurant work despite her unyielding Italian chef Mario. Waitress Sharla is her best friend. Natalie and Nick toss coins into a magic fountain. They have a week to find each other guided by their joined dreams for the perfect match.

This is a perfectly fine Hallmark TV movie including a dream matchmaker. It's nothing special. The dream couple is photogenic and an obvious match. It's really cute that McPhee gets all dolled up to go to bed. It's a romantic dream in movie form and there's nothing wrong with that. This knows its level and hits it spot on.

I was not looking for this movie, but only stumbled across it by accident. Once I figured out the premise, I was hooked. It's a magical fantasy, almost like a modern-day episode of Twilight Zone, yet without any of that show's morbidity. In My Dreams doesn't take itself too seriously, and it's clear that everyone involved had fun with the production.

I found all of the characters down-to-earth and sympathetic, even those who are only there to provide obstacles to the protagonists finally meeting. For instance, almost any other movie would have portrayed the two other women Nick spends time with as evil/psychotic, but this movie avoids that cliché. They're simply "the wrong person", not bad people.

In My Dreams has no heavy message, and it ends with a wide-open horizon of future possibilities. In other words, the screenwriters allow the viewers to decide for themselves just what they've witnessed and what the future might hold. The performers were all perfect for their roles. The only thing that could have made this movie better would have been a soundtrack by The Blue Nile. So to everyone involved in its creation and broadcast: Thank you for something different!

7.9 stars.

This has even more potential than it offers, but I still really loved it. The parts that disappoint are not the most important aspects of a movie for me. It's not a deal breaker. However, 'In My Dreams' can be a frustrating watch at times, because we are handed a pretty generous dose of anticipation, without the satisfaction to make it a fully entertaining. It's sort of a bait and switch, empty promises of wonderful and endearing romance and passion between the leads. Instead we are left with a romance that doesn't really get moving until much later. It has its ups and downs, but I needed more. Maybe a bit more recognition and motivation between the dreaming couple would be nice. They are dispassionate for way too long. In their own awake minds they feel it's authentic and wonderful, but toward each other, they have a sort of distance and aloofness that is disappointing.

The overall story is very sweet and even little intriguing. It's a slight twist on a theme of two soulmates meeting in their dreams, and then finally meeting for real. I like this rendition better than most, because the film creates a keen desire within us to see them meet in person. But I think they held the punch a bit too long.

In My Dream is a different take on your typical romance movie. Nick is an archietect who works for a disagreeable boss but dreams to start his own firm. Natalie runs her mother's restaurant, but she is struggling to get any customers. They both make a wish in the town fountain at the same time, and that night they dream about eachother. However, they doubt each other exists aand they only have seven times to dream about each other before the magic fades. Katharine McPhee and Mike Vogel were fantastic as Natalie and Nick. I also though Jessalyn Wanlim as Natalie's coworker and Joe Massingill as Nick's co-worker were great. The movie is worth watching if you are looking for something that is a little bit different.

Katharine McPhee does a very good job. She's confident and determined and so easy to like. We want her to succeed in everything she wants to do. Plus I know her from "Smash". The one negative is her bangs. She's not Zooey Deschanel, who can make that look work. But she is pretty, and her hair looks better later on.

Mike Vogel is unfamiliar to me but likable enough. But he and McPhee are so perfect together. No other couple in the movie gets it just right. The dreams where they are together are one of the best parts of the movie, with one exception where the relationship is no longer ideal.

Jessalyn Wanlim as Sharla, Natalie's waitress and best friend also does very well. She has a great personality and makes the perfect waitress. And no, she's not merely a lowly worker but has a relationship with Natalie that makes her more like a business partner. When needed, she can be the boss.

Joe Massingill makes a real impact as Joe, Nick's best friend and co-worker, who might join him in a new architectural firm.

JoBeth Williams does a good job as Nick's meddling mom.

And Lilah Fitzgerald and Dakota Guppy are so cute as Nick's nieces.

Ealier in the movie there was opera music, including what I believe to be that song Charles Emerson Winchester was whistling while playing poker). This gets replaced with annoying music that which gets played on what are called Triple-A radio stations.

It's a worthy installment in the Hallmark Hall of Fame series.