What Dreams May Come (1998)

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6.8	Rating (891 ratings)
7.1	IMDB rating

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Directed by

Vincent Ward

Starring (View all)

Robin Williams
Chris Nielsen

Cuba Gooding Jr.
Albert Lewis

Annabella Sciorra
Annie Collins-Nielsen

Max von Sydow
The Tracker

Jessica Brooks Grant
Marie Nielsen

Josh Paddock
Ian Nielsen

Rosalind Chao
Leona

Lucinda Jenney
Mrs. Jacobs

Written by

Richard Matheson

Ronald Bass

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What Dreams May Come by Ennio Morricone (Rejected Score)

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Entrevista al actor Robin Williams por filme What Dreams May come

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Reviews

This is the guy who doesn't give up.

13 years, 6 months ago at May 30 14:36

Ana

1 vote

This is one of the most intelligent, emotional, and visually beautiful movies I have ever seen, and it’s my favorite one. It makes you really happy, it makes you sad. It is remarkable love story that you can see countless times.
I absolutely love this movie and I refuse to write more about it. Just see it.

Review

14 years, 3 months ago at Aug 20 12:03

dappa1975

1 vote

I think the idea behind this is immense - and enjoyable visuals - great concept and Williams performance as per norm.

An interesting failure

13 years, 10 months ago at Feb 8 10:42

johanlefourbe

1 vote

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Robin Williams, I thought I might as well give it a try. It was pretty much a flop when it was first released but it doesn’t mean that it was actually completely worthless. To start with, I have to admit it, the title was just way too cheesy. Furthermore, the main issue, in my opinion, like with many other ... read more

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Description: This spiritual adventure film, with a screenplay by Ron Bass based on a book by Richard Matheson, boldly begins with the idea that eternity is similar to the realm of the imagination. Chris (Robin Williams), a pediatrician, and Annie (Annabella Sciorra), a painter, are soul mates whose love relationship seems invincible. However, when their two children (Jessica Brooks Grant and Josh Paddock) are killed in an automobile accident, Annie has a breakdown and is institutionalized. Chris pulls her back to reality but then he dies while trying to help others at the scene of a terrible wreck. He ends up in Heaven where he is escorted a This spiritual adventure film, with a screenplay by Ron Bass based on a book by Richard Matheson, boldly begins with the idea that eternity is similar to the realm of the imagination. Chris (Robin Williams), a pediatrician, and Annie (Annabella Sciorra), a painter, are soul mates whose love relationship seems invincible. However, when their two children (Jessica Brooks Grant and Josh Paddock) are killed in an automobile accident, Annie has a breakdown and is institutionalized. Chris pulls her back to reality but then he dies while trying to help others at the scene of a terrible wreck. He ends up in Heaven where he is escorted around by Albert (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) and Leona (Rosalind Chao), who both know a lot about his past.

This is an oddly American version of the afterlife as totally individualistic. Chris finds himself wandering around inside one of Annie's impressionistic paintings of the place where they met and planned to grow old together. Albert and Leona have private Heavens, too, that are consistent with their memories. God is nowhere to be found, a view that is contrary to the rich tradition of Heaven as a place of union with the Creator put forth by Western religions.

This afterlife reflects the idea that "belief creates experience" or "thinking makes it so" common in today's pop psychology circles. To move through the heavenly realm, all Chris needs to do is see those desired images. This may seem strange to rationalists, but such movement will be quite familiar to those who have practiced waking dreams, lucid dreaming, shamanistic traveling, and other experiences in the imaginary realm. Still, the film's simplistic credo—"Thought is real; the physical is an illusion"—does a disservice to the spiritual depths of the imagination as a separate reality.

The special effects, however, are striking and provocative. Vincent Ward (The Navigator, Map of the Human Heart) is the perfect director for this kind of visually rich presentation. The scenes of flying people outside a Heavenly City, shipwrecks at the gates of Hell, and a surrealistic sea of faces of lost souls are arresting and thought provoking.

As interesting as these visions of Heaven and Hell are, the film is best when it is addressing a different subject altogether: How do we reach someone who is in deep despair? Chris must find an answer on two occasions: trying to reach a self-blaming and very withdrawn Annie at the mental hospital and, later, communicating to her through her denial of him in Hell. His strategy on both occasions is the same. He realizes he has failed her not because he couldn't change her or be stronger for her but because he couldn't join her. When he does—when he suffers with her—their soul-mate bond is reaffirmed. Starting out as an exploration of the imagination, the film ends with an eloquent statement about compassion. ... (more)

Release date: 2 October 1998
UPC: 044005827521

Tags: Fantasy (37), Drama (31), Romance (27), Afterlife (20), Suicide (19), 1998 (16), Hell (14), 1990s (13), Heaven (13), Death (12), Love (10), Family (9), Sad (8), Soul (7), Lake (7), Mental Institution (6), Father Daughter Relationship (5), Awesome (5), Sort (5), First-rate (5)

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Pop Culture Phenomenon Films: 90’s (1929 movies items)

" Chris Nielsen dies in an accident, and enters Heaven. But when he discovers that his beloved wife Annie has killed herself out of grief over the loss, he embarks on an afterlife adventure to reunite with her. Based on the novel by Richard Matheson, What Dreams May Come is considered to be one of Robin Williams’ best films ever. Critics felt that it was a wonderful, stunning and beautiful movie, and strikingly visually awe inspiring, but for the most part, the film ended up getting mixed re"

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"Other nominations Best Visual Effects "

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" Directed by: Vincent Ward Produced by: Barnet Bain, Ronald Bass, Alan C. Blomquist, Stephen Deutsch, Ted Field, Erica Huggins, and Scott Kroopf Written by: Ronald Bass Based on the novel by: Richard Matheson Cinematography: Eduardo Serra Edited by: David Brenner and Maysie Hoy Music by: Michael Kamen Distributed by: PolyGram Pictures"