Sweet Dreams

In modest but effective LA addiction drama "Sweet Dreams" big-time music-video director Johnny Knoxville (great - playing it straight) hits rock-bottom with his alcoholism, so checks into Mohammed Amer's titular low-brow rehab house where aided by fellow addicts (including Jay Mohr (good), Theo Von, Kate Upton, Bobby Lee, Brian Van Holt & Gata) & the focus of an admittedly implausible softball tournament, he changes the direction of his life. In his third film as director (and the second that he also wrote) Lije Sarki gets his point across with a refreshing edge of authenticity while avoiding the usual cheesie genre clichés. This is a solid yet understated film.

Firstly there are some great acting performances in this film which really caught me by surprise. Johnny Knoxville in some of the more dramatic scenes were pretty good. With that said there are some actors that were just plain awful which is kinda the norm for a film like this.

The plot had its moments that kept it watchable, but also a few that were too forced. I feel like maybe if they added 30 more minutes they would have had a more complex story arch and would have corrected these issues.

Sometimes while watching it felt like a hallmark channel film with all the "sweetness" but the same time the subject and language wouldn't make it as such. Overall I did enjoy but could have been better.

Where to start?

Let's start with Bobby Lee floating round this film looking like a marshmallow that got lucky on the lip of a rejection bin. Meaning he looks like a marshmallow that has been rolling around the factory floor in dust, pubes & dirt for 50 years.

His acting is laughably bad; which is a blessing. And when he isn't trying to act he's just being Bobby Lee. Theo Von shows promise.

The film itself, is too, and and and, instead of, so but so. This means it fails to really engage. It's just too choppy. At the very least throw in a few fade shots. Make the transition smooth.

But the film is not terrible. It watches like a practice run. With a bit more skill the film could have been very good.

Another film where we are going to lose the summer camp/ski lodge/gym/halfway house, Etc. Unless we get a lot of money fast and low & behold there is a tournament where they can win exactly what they need to save their beloved whatever. Just not done nearly as well. Almost no comedy unless you find Bobbie Lee funny. Entirely predictable and so badly written. A softball team where 3 of the players never get a hit, 1 only swings the bat 1 time and the rest of the team is far below average athletically, but they win the tournament through....what? Luck? No wonder millennials are so unhappy, they've been taught that you don't need to practice, put in any effort, or really even care. You just need to be a victim... Can't recommend this.

So close to good, but I was just left wanting it to deliver more.

More stories on some of the characters, More Closure of some of the storylines - I just felt like the concept had more to deliver than what it gave us.

There is a lot that's right about the movie. Great characters, good laughs, solid emotions, and i loved the way this felt like it wasn't all filmed on a sound stage/green screen. But it felt like there was more potential here. With great comedians like Bobby Lee and Theo Von in the cast, it felt like it had more laughs and emotions to pull on (and both are sober as well - so experience to draw on.) Kate Upton's character felt like there was more storyline available. There were a number of things where we got a taste of something but it didn't move/resolve/progress - the Diner scenes/story, Kate Upton's character, the music video situation, Garvey's roadtrip, what happened after the game, etc. There were just a bunch of questions that could have been answered and would have raised my enjoyment.

It's thoroughly watchable, with some solid performances from a range of quality actors/personalities, and a decent smattering of laughter and emotion. There's nothing "dumb" about it or cliched - it just felt like it could have been 10 mins longer and given us a lot more, or 10 mins shorter and removed some storylines that didn't go anywhere.