Dragonfly (2002)

Director:

Tom Shadyac

Writers (WGA):

Brandon Camp (story) &
Mike Thompson (story) ...

Release Date:

22 February 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

When someone you love dies... are they gone forever?

Plot:

A grieving doctor is being contacted by his late wife through his patients near death experiences.

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | South America | Hospital | Red Cross | Chicago Illinois

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Kevin Costner	...	Joe Darrow
Susanna Thompson	...	Emily Darrow
Joe Morton	...	Hugh Campbell
Ron Rifkin	...	Charlie Dickinson
Kathy Bates	...	Mrs. Belmont
Robert Bailey Jr.	...	Jeffrey Reardon
Jacob Smith	...	Ben
Jay Thomas	...	Hal
Lisa Banes	...	Flora
Matt Craven	...	Eric
Casey Biggs	...	Neil Darrow
Leslie Hope	...	Charisse Darrow
Peter Hansen	...	Phillip Darrow
Marybeth Fisher	...	Eulogist (as Mary Beth Fisher)
Kim Staunton	...	Intake Nurse

Also Known As:

Im Zeichen der Libelle (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic material and mild sensuality.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #38748) | Iceland:12 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | Czech Republic:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Italy:T | Netherlands:12 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Auburn, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The character Joe Darrow was written with the intention of Harrison Ford taking the part. Ford turned down the role to take a year off from movies.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mrs. Belmont gives Joe a package that came in the mail, it is addressed to "Dr. Emily Darrow". When we see the package again in a later shot, it is addressed to just "Emily Darrow".

Quotes:

Miriam: Take down the vacancy that says "Emily's ghost is welcome here". You got to do the hard stuff. Got to clean out closets and get on with your life without her.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pulse (2006/I)

Soundtrack:

Star

Interesting premise falls flat in final acts

There is something strange about 'Dragonfly'. It is not a thriller in its subject but it deals with it as if it's a thriller. Even more strange, in some scenes it actually succeeds in that. I mean, when your wife has died and she is trying to reach you from the other side is something else than simply seeing dead people. Your wife probably has the best intentions and although it is creepy you do not have to be scared of your dead wife. I guess. The man who thinks his dead wife is trying to reach him is Joe Darrow (Kevin Costner). Is he going mad, a premise for a dramatic film, or is he really connecting to the other side?

At times where his wife is communicating with Joe, at least to Joe's knowledge, the film breaths a creepy atmosphere with a cinematography and score that make things suspenseful. But the film does not have its focus on whether Joe is going mad or not, but on how scary it is when a dead person talks to you. That there is actually suspense shows that there is some nice film-making to be found here. The premise is interesting, although not that new, but especially the final act in the film goes wrong at crucial points. There is a moment where I thought the film was over, I will not reveal where, but at that time certain things were left in the middle. It felt like the right ending. But then the film continues, providing it with an ending that must have popped into many heads from the audience, probably dismissed by a lot for being too ridiculous.

Still, the premise and the first hour are good enough to keep us entertained and although it should not work as a thriller, it does. Watching it like that without thinking too much could help you like this film in one way or another.