Hollywood Dreams (2006) User Reviews

This ain't no Shakespeare

[aharmas · 4/10 · 23 May 2007]

Watching this film I was wondering when and where did we lose our creativity? There are several films in general release that pretend to be more than just an empty, glossy package, and there are many out there, like "Hollywood Dreams" that end up being a puzzle because it is really hard to assess what was going on, and what happened at the end. "Hollywood Dreams" is a heroic effort on the parts of the filmmakers to present an old tale in a fresh way, but it is sabotaged by its overemphasis on trying to be different by trying to hard not to call attention to itself.

There are several complications in this production and they have nothing to do with the actual plot. The casting of the lead actress is in particular, mind boggling, as we see an actress that is either very good and really pulls off the trick of playing a mediocre, unstable performer, or maybe she's just plain awful and doesn't really seem to be trying very hard to do what is expected from her. The problem with her performance is that everyone else in the film is actually fairly descent, even when they seem to be overdoing it. Karen Black is particularly, strong in a role that will help us recall how powerful she was in her golden days.

In the end, this is supposed to fit right in with "The Player", "Annie Hall", and some gems that both praise and skewer the silver screen. However, what we have is a muddled effort that might have benefited from more time in the creative oven.

Trainwreck actress

[dwats8 · 24 September 2008]

First off I love independent film and stories about struggling in Hollywood. So when I saw the DVD cover and read the back of it I thought "Great, this is right up my alley!" When it started off I took into consideration that it was not of the highest caliber, then as I got more into the film I realized that the lead actress wasn't that good and kept over acting. I know that she was playing a desperate actress trying to make it, but it just didn't translate for me. I really liked the other people in it so I continued to watch. By the end of the film I was exhausted! Tanna Frederick clearly was not made for this part! Too much emotion, too intense, too eager even for this character, it was painful. I could tell that she was acting! NOT A GOOD SIGN! Besides the delightful part of Karen Black and a job well done by the other cast members. I would never recommend this movie to anyone!

over the rainbow of Hollywood?

[becomingx2003 · 8/10 · 9 September 2007]

A very bizarre experience. This is not a good film in it's own right. It doesn't seem to even attempt to try to do better than it can. It is just a weird, lazy excuse for a film. The "star" of the film is a shockingly unstable young woman, who dreams of being famous but is mentally limited, to say the least. She is evicted and is taken in by two producers, who promise her stardom and delude her into thinking she'll have it. But they are seduced by Hollywood, like her. Like everyone in the movie. Who also seem in on some smug joke that is not consistently amusing. Karen Black shines, but was better in children of the corn four. The star of the movie gives a hideous performance, on purpose. So credit to her. Actually, the whole movie is screamingly awful. And what is the meaning behind the rainbow shown at the start of the movie?

Worth seeing.