1985 Movie
Dir. Karel Reisz · United States of America · English
A middling biopic that focuses more on a marriage rather than the country icon herself
Sweet Dreams is supposedly a film about Patsy Cline, one of the most influential country and pop vocalists of the 1960s. To the film’s credit, Jessica Lange does a great job emulating the singer, though the vocal performances come straight from the source recordings, and Ed Harris, portraying the husband Charlie Dick, shares a believable chemistry with Lange. But sadly, Sweet Dreams is much more interested in her marriage than in her artistry, more interested in the accidents she’s gone through than in the way she recovered after the crash. Rather than focus on an inspiring life story that practically writes itself– a young woman who, despite what life has given, managed to teach herself music and become one of the greatest singers of all time– Sweet Dreams is not so sweet at all.
The story of Patsy Cline, the velvet-voiced country music singer who died in a tragic plane crash at the height of her fame.
"Lange has real authority here, and the performance holds you emotionally. This is one of the few times I’ve seen people cry at a movie that wasn't sentimental -- it’s an honest tearjerker. People can cry without feeling they’ve been had."
— Pauline Kael
"Clearly the coal miner's daughter's cousin by both birthright and ambition, Sweet Dreams upholds the family honor quite well."
— Variety Staff
Aspiring country singer Patsy Cline is resigned to her unhappy marriage and small-town gigs, until she meets the charismatic Charlie Dick, and finds a new manager in Randy Hughes.
Charlie Dick undeniably had an impact in Patsy Cline’s life as a muse and eventual champion of her legacy, so understandably, he held a lot of runtime. But rather than focus on that, most of that runtime is dedicated to how much he was jealous of her success, which is a strange choice for a biopic supposedly celebrating her legacy.
Patsy Cline deserved better.
Other
1 nom
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
Sweet Dreams was a great movie. Just loved it, I think you should watch the movie. Love loved it…