You have seen this a million times before: young mangenue enters the magical world of X where things he couldn't have ever imagined change his vision of the world and inspire him to greatness. This time is a young beautiful boy from New York who gets to be part of Dali's world at the end of his career. And just like any young person he wants to feel special and part of something greater than himself, only to realize that it's all a facade behind which people are still regular old people.
The formula has been used again and again and again because it works, but you have to implement it in a way that captivates and inspires. You have to make art if you want to showcase art, even if it is a cheap copy of other great films in the genre you have to at least reach that level of competence. Unfortunately Daliland feels just as naive as the main character is supposed to be, wanting to be more than it is without effort and realizing no one thinks they're special. And funnily enough, the ending of the film does involve cheap knock-offs of Dali's work, which felt inadvertently hilarious.
Ben Kingsley is his usual good actor, without aspiring to greatness, Barbara Sukowa too, the rest of the cast are more props than anything else. And Christopher Briney is the perfect casting choice for the lead role: a pretty face. The sets are good, yet feel cheap all the same. The entire production feels a carbon copy of something better that you've seen before.
Bottom line: I don't recommend the film.
