This movie may put you to sleep

Rating: 7/10 (16 July 2010)

The problem with this movie is that the plot is too convoluted, thus diverting attention away from the movie's basic premise, that of how the brain functions during sleep. This is a fascinating, esoteric subject but like all fascinating subjects, when Hollywood gets a hold of it, look out! You may be in for a ride, to a place we know not where. A story works best when it has a beginning, a middle and and end. When you tamper with that structure, such as by starting a movie with a flashback, you're inviting confusion and frankly, who wants to go to the movies to be confused. Stories should be told straightforwardly, but that is not the case with this movie. Is Mr. DiCaprio in a dream or not? After a while, it becomes a moot point as the movie just keeps rambling on and on to its inevitable conclusion. Nevertheless, the movie does explore some interesting subjects such as idea formation, mind manipulation, the subconscious and mental activity during sleep. Where the movie stalls is in plausibility and structure. Yet, despite these drawbacks, the movie is worth watching because of Leonardo DiCaprio who once again gives an excellent performance as a stalwart yet troubled mind prober. He carries the movie which alone makes it watchable.
Once again Hollywood has taken a perfectly good idea for a movie and has watered it down. Brainwashing is a fascinating subject. It is a key element in The Manchurian Candidate. How do we know that our ideas are actually ours and not planted into our heads? That is the underlying theme of this movie. The problem is, the story itself is so muddled and confusing that at times it becomes a distraction. Leonardi DiCaprio is excellent as a mind prober with emotional issues which get in the way of doing his job. The premise of the story is interesting , especially as it relates to questions of consciousness and unconsciousness and the formulation of ideas during sleep. But then the movie loses focus as the DiCaprio character gets more and more hung up on his emotional problems, thus diverting attention away from the movie's original premise. However, this is a good movie and is worth watching but with this disclaimer: it may put you to sleep.