Customer Reviews

Sweet Dreams

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This movie, featuring great performances by Jessica Lange as Patsy Cline, and Ed Harris as Charley Dick, Cline's husband, chronicles the life and times of Patsy Cline, her rise to stardom, and her all too brief hold on it.

Jessica Lange gives a wonderful, believable performance as Patsy Cline. Ed Harris, as her hard drinking, womanizing, and ultimately abusive husband, plays his role to perfection. John Goodman has a small role in the film as Charley Dick's good ol' boy, meat head friend.

The movie shows how this poorly educated, young woman with a throaty and achingly rich voice went on to become one of the greatest crossover talents ever to come out of Nashville. Her flame burned brightly for several years, until it was extinguished when a plane in which she was a passenger crashed headlong into a mountain.

Her music runs throughout the entire film. If you are not a Patsy Cline fan when you first sit down to view this film, then you surely will be by the time you finish doing so. No one sang with more feeling than Patsy Cline, and she evidently lived her life the same way. This is a terrific movie and well worth watching!

Reality is generally more complicated than any motion picture can possibly convey--and such is the case with SWEET DREAMS, the 1985 bio-pic of singer Patsy Cline, which ran into a firestorm of criticism at the time of its release. For Patsy Cline was not a figure from the remote past. She and her life were extremely well recalled by family, friends, and co-workers, and one and all attacked the film as an extremely inaccurate portrait of her, her husband Charlie, and her life and career.

To a certain extent, the validity of these complaints about the film are a matter of opinion. But it does seem likely that the script softened Cline's harder edges and over-emphasized the stormy nature of her marriage in order to cast her in the role of victim. What isn't opinion is the way the film treats her career: it didn't happen like that, and while the film presents her as a great star at the time of her death in truth she had released only a handful of widely distributed records by 1963--and while some of them were big hits, they weren't quite as big as you might think. Even the celebrated "Sweet Dreams" never made it to the top spot on any music chart, and it was not until well after her death that she received full recognition for her remarkable work.

So instead of truth, or even a good approximation of it, SWEET DREAMS gives us the legend, the folk tale of the rough-and-tumble girl with the big, emotional voice who came from no where, married an abusive husband, and leaped into stardom that was cut short by an untimely death. And as legend, the film works very well.

The weak point of the film is the script, which plays largely to a "domestic drama" aspect and tends to smooth out the characters in a "santized for your protection" sort of way. The direction and cinematography are no great shakes either, and ultimately SWEET DREAMS looks very much like a made-for-television movie. But the cast carries it off in fine style. Jessica Lang looks no more like Patsy Cline than I do, and her lip-scynchs to Cline's work is rather hit-and-miss, but she gives a truly memorable performance; Ed Harris equals her in the role of husband Charlie, and together they create a synergy that has tremendous power. The supporting cast is also quite good, with Ann Wedgeworth a standout in the role of Cline's mother Hilda.

And then there is that soundtrack. Even if you've heard all these songs a thousand times, they're still worth hearing again. Patsy Cline was truly an amazing artist. But the film does something odd with them: the bulk of the story is set during the 1950s, but there is not a 1950s-era Cline vocal to be heard in the entire film, everything is taken from her glory years at MCA between 1960 and 1963. And very often it seemed to me that the original scoring of Cline's songs had been replaced with new arrangements.

And that, ultimately, is rather typical of the film as a whole. Just a little change here, just a little inaccuracy there, and while they all seem slight individually, they add up to a fairly significant distortion collectively. The performances make it worth watching, and they bring it in at a solid four stars. But if you're expecting anything more than the glossy legend of Patsy Cline, you won't find it here.

--GFT (Amazon.com Reviewer)--

I didn't know much about Patsy kline or her music before seeing this movie, but when I first saw it about 10 years ago, I was blown away. The performances of the actors, Both Jessica Lange and Ed Harris, were incredible, and although it was a typical hollywood biography (as someone else stated in their posting)it was still a great movie. I have recently purchased the DVD after seeing it on cable the other night. I highly recommend it.

I was fortunate enough to obtain this video over the summer and just watched it again. Jessica Lange is perfect as Patsy Cline, Ed Harris accurately portrays her abusive husband, Charlie Dick and Ann Wentworth is sublime as Patsy's mom, Helda. Whether or not you are a fan of Patsy's music, this is an excellent film bio that keeps you interested throughout. How tragic that she was just beginning to really become a big star when she was instantly killed in a plane crash. I've a feeling had she lived, she'd still be singing and a force to be reckoned with. Highly recommended!

I just can't say enough about how wonderful this movie is.
Even if you are not a big Patsy Cline fan, you will still be mesmerized by this story of her rise to fame.

Back in her day, you actually had to put more footwork into selling youself to the music industry, It wasn't like it is today. You didn't just get famous with a few phone calls and favors down the line. You actually had to have raw talent, the thing so many singers are lacking today, and boy did she have it !!!

Of course, through this movie, it is Patsy's true voice with Jessica Lange lip synching to it.I just love her crystal clear voice. Especially in "Sweet Dreams", "Crazy" and " I fall to Pieces". We also get to hear "Walkin after Midnight" as well as many other favorites.

Her story is pretty intriguing, too. Of her rise to fame, her marriage, her children, and then her sad plane crash.
I really think you will love this as much as I did. And it is a movie you will watch over and over because it is that good.

If you saw, and liked "Coal Miner's Daughter" - You will absolutely LOVE Sweet Dreams !!!!

Patsy Cline, Jessica Lange, what more do we need. Let me tell you this is a definitive example of Country Music at its best. I fell in love with Patsy in 1960 and the affair has lasted 46 years. Her music is timeless. This movie has a great cast, is well acted and is not the usual stumbling memorial to a star long gone. For CM enthusiasts or for those who haven't learned the truth yet but need converting, this is a classic movie with the BEST music and sound track.

An absolute must see movie.
My children watched it many times while growing up and when I purchased it, they were just as excited to watch it again. Not every day you have 3 teenagers wanting to sit home with mom on a Friday night and watch a movie from so many years ago. The movie tells the story of Patsy Cline and you walk away feeling like you just saw a movie about your friend. Great Great movie!!!

This movie got me interested in Patsy Cline's music back in the 1980s. Jessica Lange is perfect as Patsy. And no matter what I see Ed Harris in, he will always be Charlie Dick. He was so good in that role. If you have a problem with profanity, don't watch this movie. Patsy must have had a really "salty" tongue. This is a great movie just the same.

The story of Patsy Cline's rise to fame never fails to move me. Jessica Lange is tremendous and Ed Harris very good as Charlie Dick. If you have not seen this movie give it a chance. You will not be disappointed.

Jessica Lange is brilliant as the legendary Pasty Cline in this wonderful biopic. She received a 1985 Oscar Nomination for Best Actress and should have won. It was a part Meryl Streep wanted to play and after seeing the film, stated she couldn't imagine anyone but Jessica playing the part.

Pasty Cline was a gifted artist with a heart breaking life. Jessica Lange at her finest.