Dream is a sports dramedy that is susceptible to a lot of the genre’s cliches. Yes, we follow Hong-dae’s journey from being an egomaniac lone wolf to an empathetic team player. Of course, we get to witness all the heartwrenching backstories of the homeless football members. And sure, we even see get to see ourselves in Lee So-min (IU), the hardworking filmmaker who puts her all into this documentary in the hopes that it could somehow pay off her student loan debt. These are plotlines you’ve heard of before, and there are holes in a lot of them (like how it criticizes documentaries for exploiting sob stories while doing the same in the film, for instance). But at the end of the day, Dream only wants to be an uplifting feel-good movie and in that regard, it succeeds immensely. Say what you want about Seo-joon and his exaggerated yell-all way of acting, but the man knows how to draw out a chuckle from even the most reserved viewer. And paired with IU, who brings with her a plucky charm, the two can command an audience any which way they want. If you’re looking for a serious deep dive into the world of sports, the deceit of documentaries, and the complex reality of homelessness, Dream touches on a bit of that but don’t expect it to fully deliver. However, if you’re looking for an easy watch filled with delightful performances and feel-good moments, then Dream is your film.
With hard work and dedication on lock, a group of homeless men trains to compete in a global tournament — despite a cranky coach.
After being temporarily suspended from the national league, pro-football player Yoon Hong-dae (Park Seo-joon) is forced to repair his public image by coaching a charity football team.
The movie’s climax is a showstopper, an impressive display of sportsmanship, teamwork, and patriotism that manages to trump all of the film’s errors. This scene at the Homeless World Cup is what will convince you to forgive all of the cheesy cliches in the movie. If every thing has been leading up to this moment, then that’s time well spent.
Welcome to the Park Seo-joon School of Scream Acting, where we yell all our feelings, and subtlety remains to be a confounding concept.
