Dreamin’ Wild, 2023.
Written and Directed by Bill Pohlad.
Starring Casey Affleck, Walton Goggins, Zooey Deschanel, Beau Bridges, Chris Messina, Noah Jupe, Jack Dylan Grazer, Barbara Deering, Elizabeth O’Brien, Cari Wilton, McKenna Ralston, Rich Morris, Katy Cavanagh-Jupe, Doug Dawson, Maeve Campbell, Lauren Megan McCarthy, Jhon Goodwin, Brandon O’Neill, Bonni Dichone, and Callan Spafford.
SYNOPSIS:
“Dreamin’ Wild” tells the true story of the Emerson family and the tumult that followed the success of their self-recorded pop-funk album of the same name, which went largely unnoticed until critics rediscovered and reappraised it decades later.
With Dreamin’ Wild, writer/director Bill Pohlad (who already has one outstanding narrative-based feature documenting the lives of real musicians, the Beatles biopic Love and Mercy), working from New York Times article A Time Capsule Set to Song by Steven Kurutz, has taken on a challenging balancing act of refreshingly focusing on how a family mostly stayed on good terms with one another through tough times rather than use that as fuel for dysfunctional arguing and disarray.
This means that the resulting film approaches its relatively mature textile through a family-friendly PG lens that, like this tonal practice itself, sometimes allows for an authenticity specific to the real people these characters are playing, but also some corny ones that either feel held back by that choice, or succumb to some emotional material laid on slightly too thick in the third act. That’s one way of saying Dreamin’ Wild is a grab-bag compilation of events and moments that believably feel like a dream come to life, with others less convincingly so.
The one consistent element that, ultimately, wins out a recommendation is the methodically somber and soulful performance of Casey Affleck as Donnie Emerson. Once a prodigal folksy and bluesy singer and songwriter (also capable of playing several instruments) and played by Noah Jupe in childhood flashbacks that mostly complement and enrich what is unfolding across each point in time, Donnie now runs an unsuccessful music studio alongside his significant other Nancy (an underutilized Zooey Deschanel), performing cover songs in a band together to make ends meet for their family. Whatever dreams and promises of fame and success he once had never come to fruition.
Randomly, an agent of sorts named Matt Sullivan (Chris Messina) approaches the family, which includes Donny’s drummer brother Joe (an effectively moving Walton Goggins with Jack Dylan Grazer as his childhood flashback counterpart) and selfless parents Don Sr. (Beau Bridges) and Salina (Barbara Deering), informing them that, through the power of Internet virality, the titular album the brothers made when they were teenagers that was initially critically panned has been rediscovered and is currently being heralded as something special. The New York Times wants to interview the family for an article, a record label wants to rerelease the album, and there is also interest in having the brothers go on tour. Unsurprisingly, the real music is used and pleasant to hear.
There are also some intriguing character dynamics at play here, such as the fact that while Donnie had been hoping for a second chance at his dream life, he seems to have wanted that to happen with his partner Nancy. He also doesn’t seem too enthused about the whole idea, having already gone through that system as a teenager, where his father regularly put up acres of land for sale to help finish a new record that also didn’t propel the boys as careers any higher. At the opposite end of this spectrum is Joe, who has lived a life of ups and downs between finding honest housebuilding work and tragically losing his life’s love. He is happy about this second chance, placing far less pressure on himself and what this could possibly turn into.
The quietness and uncertainty from Casey Affleck’s terrific performance also come from Donnie’s guilt and shame of not living up to that potential when his father figuratively and literally bet the house on his success. There is a small, emotional scene between Casey Affleck and Beau Bridges toward the end that is not only moving but also sneakily hypnotic, as there is often a surprising amount of color popping when cinematographer Arnaud Potier shoots them surrounded by nature. However, punches are pulled, as the story seems afraid to properly deal with some of Donnie’s selfish behavior, pushing himself too hard and pushing away those around him in a misplaced effort to make his father proud. The PG rating is felt here, as the narrative mostly moves by this to reach a feel-good conclusion.
Not every flashback here is necessary, but there is a conscious effort to define each character further. Not much is always happening in them, which also plays into the subversive nature of waiting for a familial blowup that never comes. Dreman’ Wild sticks to depicting with quiet, uplifting grace even in the face of adversity, which somewhat feels revolutionary in a world where filmmakers feel obligated to make musical biopics about those with typical troubling addictions and flaws.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Dreamin’ Wild wouldn’t exist.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
