journal features

movie review - What Dreams May Come

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-eight years and a million words

Toronto, 1999.07.23

First let me say that I'm not a Robin Williams fan.

The first part of this movie is about the central character and his happy family of a son, a daughter, and a lovely wife. The children die in a car crash, then Williams himself dies in a second crash. The remainder of the movie is about Williams' afterlife. From there, Williams learns about the wonder of his personal heaven, while his wife (back on earth) slides into a retrograde path to suicide.

She kills herself, and goes to her own personal hell. Williams decides to go get her, and rounds up his kids for the adventure.

The whole thing leaves you with a strangely unconvinced feeling, and the final step essentially breaks what development had taken place between the central character and his 'soul mate'. Yech.

Not recommended.

rand()m quote

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.

—Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.