journal features

movie review - What Dreams May Come

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one 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

If I had my life to live over, I'd try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax, I would limber up, I would be crazier than I've been on this trip. I know very few things I'd take seriously any more. I'd certainly be less hygenic... I would take more chances, I would take more trips, I would scale more mountains, I would swim more rivers, and I would watch more sunsets. I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans. I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it all over again, I'd have many more of them, in fact I'd try not to have anything else, just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of my day. If I had it to do all over again, I'd travel lighter, much lighter than I have. I would start barefoot earlier in the spring, and I'd stay that way later in the fall. And I would ride more merry-go-rounds, and catch more gold rings, and greet more people and pick more flowers and dance more often. If I had it to do all over again - but you see, I don't.

—Jorge Luis Borges