Dream House

Film: Dream House

Starring: Daniel Craig (Defiance), Rachel Weisz (The Lovely Bones), and Naomi Watts (Fair Game)

Director: Jim Sheridan (Brothers)

U.S. Release: September 30th, 2011 (Rated PG-13)

Genre: Thriller

Runtime: 92 minutes


Jim Sheridan is a director known for being a great storyteller. With a filmography including some deep, emotional films like The Boxer and Brothers, it would be hard for anyone to argue that notion. Within Sheridan's latest release, Dream House, there too lies a deep rooted story. And with the aid of Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, and Namoi Watts, Sheridan tries desperately to tell that story.

Dream House opens with its main character Will Atenton (played by Craig) packing up his personal belongings and leaving the office. Will has just retired from his job in order to move to the suburbs with his family, spend time with his children, and work on a novel. While getting acquainted with his new home, Will learns that the family who previously lived there was murdered. And upon hearing about the killer's recent release from a mental institution, Will begins to fear for the safety of his family.

Daniel Craig has propelled himself to stardom as the latest actor to play James Bond in the 007 series. Along the way, he has excelled in countless roles. With Dream House, Craig and his supporting cast fall too far into the realm of mediocrity. Each of their characters lack depth and creative appeal. Perhaps it's a result of misguided direction from Jim Sheridan, or maybe it's just another instance of big time actors and actresses wanting to cash a paycheck. Either way, one of the film's major flaws lies in the inability of its stars to connect with the audience.

In addition to it's unconvincing cast, Dream House also falls apart with its swiss-cheese plot. Within the story, there are enough holes to drive a MACK truck through, and every ounce of the blame falls on the shoulders of its director. As a poster boy for great storytelling, Sheridan can merely offer a yawning attempt at what's intended to be a suspenseful tale. And ultimately, Dream House fails to answer enough of the questions that make it vital for the audience to buy into the film. Thus, resulting in an unbelievable and illogical hour and a half of muck.

With viable options still in the theatre such as 50/50, Drive, and The Help, I'd star as far away from Dream House as humanly possible. Believe me, there's nothing worth seeing there.


Stars: Half a star out of 4

Grade: D-