Dream Lover

There's a lot of parallels one can find in the slasher boom of the 80's and the erotic thriller boom of the 90's. Both got started thanks to the surprising successes of formula-establishing movies, and then the waves of imitators all looking to out-do one another. Both pivoted on sex and death being intertwined. And both followed only a few templates. For slashers, there was the revenge killer (Jason, Freddy) and the mindless force of evil (Halloween, Slumber Party Massacre). For erotic thrillers, it was always well-to-do yuppies either getting into a relationship and one had a secret, a marriage joined in progress where something was wrong, or a stranger coming into someone's life in a non-intimate role (secretary, police officer, nanny) and making life a living hell. One does not watch these kinds of movies expecting variations or even innovations on the formula. One watches these kids of movies seeing how well they execute the formula. Dream Lover is a curious case because, were it not I think for one aspect, this could have been one of the more notable entries in the genre. It follows the pattern of a meet-lust (because they don't meet-cute) between two strangers, get into the relationship, and then the trouble starts. Mädchen Amick plays Lena, the person with the secrets, and those secrets go deep. One of Dream Lover's better moves isn't to have Amick pile lies on lies that get revealed in one fell swoop and then panic ensues; there's a lie here that gets discovered, she explains it away, and then later, another. The layered approach keeps the audience guessing as to what Lena's true nature and motivation are. It probably gets too convoluted for its own good at the end, but it sure is fun watching her get confronted with a reveal and worm her way out of it. And it is fun because Mädchen Amick OWNS this movie. Had this movie been more popular, Amick could've been the Anne .Hathaway of the 90's. When she is being sweet and sincere, you'll want to hug her and never let her go. When she is being deceitful, she is a god-tier femme fatale. She never explodes in rage, never yells, never descends into panic; she is patience, calm, and icy determination personified. And when she's being seductive? She is so incendiary, she left her image burned into my TV. How she wasn't more of a 90's It Girl is beyond me, because she is the kind of hot that leaves people speechless. She could have sexual chemistry with a dead tree, so you can imagine how dangerously steamy a sex scene is with her. She could make filing taxes X-rated. If for no other reason, this movie is worth watching for Amick's performance. She is spellbinding in every way. Hell, she was nominated for acting by the Saturn Awards. That says something about how much of a powerhouse performance she put in. It's a shame and a total surprise then that it's the other half of this pairing that let this movie down hard. That's no knock overall on James Spader as an actor. I like Spader. Not my favorite, but he's usually pretty reliable. And I will say that he has fantastic chemistry with Amick, although again, I think a lot of that falls on her. But Spader's character is written is written as a lovesick dope, and Spader seems to have been given direction to perform like he's always got a migraine and to stare in the middle distance. Spader is one of those actors with an energy and a style all his own, and when he taps into it (when he goes full Spader), it's a joy, and he only gets to do that in the final five minutes. For the other hour thirty-five, Ray is a simpering, love-drunk, easily-led buffoon. And hey, strictly speaking from the animalistic part of my brain, if I had Mädchen Amick in my bed, I'd be so deep puppy lust, I'd be too rendered stupid to count to two. But we're supposed to believe this guy is an intelligent, successful, and a well-to-do architect that has his own large firm, and somehow his love has rendered him so moronic, he can't see he's being played? Hell, he's too stupid to not kick Lena to the curb after finding out the first big whopper of a lie? It doesn't make Ray sympathetic, it makes him look so dumb, I wonder if he needs a state-appointed minder to keep him from falling out of chairs or reminding him to breathe. And why does he speak in a hushed voice all the time? Do they live in a branch library? Lena, I get her not blowing up when it hits the fan, but him? Where is the emotion? Even when they finally do have a huge confrontation and he slaps her, he's still not fuming with rage. It's like he slaps Lena out of obligation. I don't blame Spader for this. It is clear he got bad direction, and it's baffling, because the director, Nicholas Kazan, had notable success before this, being nominated for Academy Awards for Reversal Of Fortune. And he'd go on after this to direct the children's cult classic Matilda. And yet, here we are. If you like 90's erotic thrillers (and they are a special kind of mood), this wouldn't be the first one I'd recommend. There are better ones. More iconic ones. This one certainly won't convince non-fans either. But I still would recommend it for no other reason than to watch Mädchen Amick be an absolute goddess. Every moment she's on screen is a joy to behold, whether she's making you love or hate her. The movie around her ... ehh.