Dream Lover
Tags: insanity, revenge, psychedelic, murder

Plot synopsis:
The movie opens on divorce proceedings involving Ray Reardon (Spader), a successful architect, and his first wife. Shortly after their divorce, he agrees to go to a gallery opening to meet a woman with whom his obnoxious friend, Norman (Larry Miller), sets him up. While he is there, he embarrasses himself by bumping into a woman (Amick), making her spill wine on herself. She wastes no time verbally abusing him. A week later, he runs into the woman, named Lena Mathers, at the supermarket. She apologizes for her behavior and the two go to dinner. They have sex the next day, marry shortly thereafter, and become parents.
Despite his happiness in the marriage, Ray becomes suspicious after catching Lena in several lies about her past. Over time, Ray becomes increasingly paranoid when his wife begins sporting bruises that she will not explain and begins doing things that indicate she is having an affair. During a tense confrontation, Lena taunts Ray by claiming to have had an affair with an unnamed friend of his and refusing to tell Ray if their children are biologically his. Ray hits Lena, who then has him arrested and committed to a mental hospital for observation. Despite an attempt to prove that Lena has been lying, the judge finds Ray to be mentally incompetent and orders him held for six months. Shortly after Ray has been committed, Lena privately admits to him that his suspicions about her were correct all along and that she had planned for years to do what she did to get his money.
After Ray convinces one of his friends to tell Lena that she has made a mistake in her "master plan", Lena shows up at his birthday party to talk to him. Ray lures her away from the attendants who are supposed to be supervising him and tells her that having him declared insane was the "mistake" because he could not be held legally accountable for killing her. He then chokes her to death on the lawn.

Review: DREAM LOVER has a tightly wound plot and fine performances by the entire cast.
Nick Kazan has some great dialogue in here like "What you think is paranoia is heightened awareness."   Some folks might fault Spader's character as very stupid (really, you should find out as much as you can about a potential mate before marrying them!)  Still, this a great neo noir thriller that really goes to show that beauty is often skin deep.
I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this film as I'd not heard much about it, but was totally captivated by it.The performances from James Spader and the achingly beautiful Mädchen Amick are first rate, and the script is flawless.
A lot of the plot feels like a rehash of Hitchcock, but it's done incredibly well, and hey, if you're going to steal from someone, might as well steal from the best.The twists and turns really work, and take the viewer along for the ride as well.
one of those that few people know about, but when they see it they think it's a great film as well.An added bonus is that the home video version contains a few minutes of extra "steamy" scenes that were cut from theaters.I think this film is an underappreciated modern-day classic, and I urge everyone to check it out..
DREAM LOVER is a nicely made, well-acted little film about a man who meets and marries the girl of his dreams but begins to wonder who she really is.
The cleverest touch is having a framing device which has a crazed clown at a carnival who explains the major plot developments to James Spader's character and to us as well.
But a chance encounter with a beautiful young woman named Lena (Madchen Amick in a very incisive performance) changes that.
The plot twists and turns like a pretzel.
Not only did the performances from Madchen Amick and James Spader feel realistic and genuine, the actions of the two seemed based more in reality as opposed to the Hollywoodized version of revenge and anger.
Great acting and atmosphere, with plot twists right till the end.
Great acting, interesting characters and a tight plot that keeps twisting right through the very end.
I highly recommend this film for anyone looking for a psychological thriller.
Excellent performances by James Spader and Madchen Amick backed by a decent script, direction and dialogue make this one of my all time favourites.
Its a movie which makes you realize that people aren't always what they seem to be and how certain events in Life do not always have to be a coincidence.
Dream Lover is one odd little film.
On one hand, it's a Neo-Noir style mystery romantic thriller, but for some reason; supernatural themes are constantly hinted at through the tone, title and dream sequences featured throughout the film.
I have to say that it really looks like director Nicholas Kazan wasn't really sure what he wanted the film to be, and what we've ended up with is a disjointed blending of a few different genres, which hasn't come out all that well.
Still, Dream Lovers does manage an interesting story in spite of this; and while I'm biased because I love a good mystery thriller, I'd say it's just about worth seeing.
It's not long before he meets the beautiful Lena Mathers, whom he falls in love, marries and has kids with...before realising that he doesn't really know anything about her.
Around the same time, strange events transpire and it becomes obvious to Ray that Lena isn't who she appears to be, and so he endeavours to get to the bottom of who she is.James Spader takes the lead role and both acts and looks the part that he is playing.
The leads do have chemistry together, and while the film is in no way as sexy as Nicholas Kazan obviously thinks it is, there are no problems on the acting front.
The plot really is all over the place, yet somehow it still manages to be rather predictable and despite being a mystery, Dream Lover soon sets itself into a rhythm.
I don't like the title very much, as it gives the complete wrong impression of the film - and while it sort of makes sense given what happens, it could have been marketed better.
It all boils down to a decent enough ending which, while not very clever, manages to make sense in spite of the fact that it's all a little bit silly, and the final sequence is by far and away the most powerful in the film.
Overall, I can't really give Dream Lovers high recommendations, but it's enjoyable and I think the majority of negative comments directed against it are unfair..
A husband discovers that his gorgeous, seemingly perfect "Dream Lover" of a wife has many hidden secrets, and could turn out to be more of a Nightmare..
Quite honestly, I can't understand where some people saw the "twists" here; "Dream Lover" is as predictable as yesterday's news and as obvious as its overwrought dream scenes.
But Spader and Amick do make an attractive couple, and there are some genuinely erotic moments in the early parts of the film, so as long as you know why you're watching the film (it's certainly not for the "twists"), you'll probably be satisfied.
For you classical movie fans and fans of the Fifties music scene, this film Dream Lover will not contain a note of either Jeanette MacDonald's first film hit song from The Love Parade or will you hear Bobby Darin's hit from the Fifties, both entitled Dream Lover.
Neither song while different in style is positive in nature and wouldn't be right in this very downer of a thriller.James Spader can't believe his luck in finding Madchen Amick, she's the perfect beautiful woman.
This woman is an eleven plus and after a divorce from Bess Armstrong, Spader's in need of reassurance that he's still got it.They marry and have children, but gradually he starts noticing little things that she always has a perfect explanation, but rattle Spader beyond the point of endurance.
When he starts investigating his wife, Spader finds a lot of things just don't add up.Dream Lover is a neat little thriller that will keep you guessing right to the end who is going to come out on top.
In fact neither of them really do, or at least that's how I view the film.Spader, Amick and the rest of the cast respond well to writer/director Nicholas Kazan's script and guidance.
When Spader starts investigating the past of his wife and finds she's just a down home girl from Texas instead of what she puts out, he meets up with William Shockley her old boy friend.
His one scene in the film with Spader will leave an indelible impression.In fact Dream Lover will leave an indelible impression on you..
After an intense divorce, Ray accidentally bumps into the beautiful Lena at an art gallery.
Nearly two years, into their marriage Ray begins to discover that Lena isn't the person he thought she was.
Secrets begin to unravel and as Ray begins to discover the truth, Lena has an alternate plan for him.Nicholas Kazan's 'Dream Lover' mainly focuses on the relationship between Ray and Lena.
Initially, it may give the impression of being just another 'relationship thriller' but the film does succeed in creating a tense atmosphere especially as Ray becomes more and more suspicious of his wife.
The director and actors already hint from the very beginning of Ray and Lena's relationship that something is not quite right.
As a result of which much of the character remains a question mark.'Dream Lover' is executed brilliantly.
The cinematography is wonderful particularly in the way it captures the interiors of Ray's house and background score is beautiful.James Spader and Mädchen Amick are in top form.
Spader displays Ray's vulnerability, humbleness and strength with conviction while Amick's luring beauty and restraint make her just right for the part.
The rest of the cast does a fine job in providing support.'Dream Lover' is pretty much about Ray's illusion in finding the perfect partner.
The strenghts of this underrated and rather unknown movie are especially the outstanding performances by James Spader (who is great as usual) and Maedchen Amick who for the first time really shows how much sex-appeal she's got.
Furthermore she's completely believable in this role as a beautiful, nontransparent and sort of crazy young woman.The problem of this movie is that it goes on too long especially after Spader's and Amick's characters meet and fall in love.
Nevertheless "Dream Lover" is a smart and extremely sexy and well-acted film - that's why you won't regret watching it.Overall rating: 7 out of 10..
I love sexy femme fatale movies in general .i probably enjoyed Dream Lover more than i should have .
i would have liked to have known more about the main character Lena Mathers as the plotting perfect wife from hell .
this film is more of a mystery than a thriller .
i bet there were a few alternate endings to Dream Lover but they decided to take the easy way out .
Dream Lover is an OK movie to catch on cable or DVD .
I first saw Dream Lover on television, the movie did not catch my full attention.
This is what was missing when I first viewed Dream Lover on television.
Once I saw Dream Lover on the Cable Network, I viewed the movie with my full attention and no interruptions.
I then realized that Dream Lover was a picture filled with twists and manipulation and suspense that was worth watching over and over again.
James Spader (Ray) came off as a sincere husband who was totally manipulated by a woman Madchen Amick (Lena) whom he loved and trusted in spite of many suttle lies that he became aware of throughout their marriage.
This is a movie worth watching, it makes one wonder if they really can know a person..
Spader fans will also like his slightly absent-minded professor character in Stargate..
James Spader playing yet another yuppie dullard, this time entering into a marriage with a mysterious, oddly detached young woman who has a hidden agenda (never mind that it takes her two babies and many years to carry it out).
Threadbare thriller with a ridiculous plot-twist midway through, uninteresting characters, sterile atmosphere and a thin, colorless cast.
The dream sequences themselves, set in a gaudy-wicked carnival, are visually striking but have little-to-zero connection to what's going on in the story.
Madchen Amick did a wonderful job playing the wife and mother.The movie belongs to James Spader.
Here he realistically plays a new husband and father gradually coming to terms with a bad situation.The plot is tight; it moves along and the characters are well written and keep our interest.I was wondering why James Spaders hair seemed painted or fakey or plastic-y.
There was a carnival setting that opened the movie and reappeared several more times before showing up at the end.
His dream lover is a...nightmare.
Dream Lover is not a high body count, stab at the air with a knife movie, so back off if that's what you're expecting.
James Spader plays Ray, a very successful business man who has just gone through a very painful divorce.
From there, he meets Lena, and at first, she seems like everything that he has every dreamed of.
It very slowly, unveils Lenas ultimate plan, a secret plan that will turn Rays life for the worst.
Dream Lover is obviously not a movie for everyone, but those that who will dig it, I must warn you....this one is going for your head, and it is going to stay there.
Amick is the hottest lead, with charm and looks but also a sinister grace of the most storied villains in the film canon.
I love everything about this movie...and did I mention the hotness??.
Just resist the temptation.What Hitchcock had going for him is everything Dream Lover lacks.
I'm being generous here; the film actually fails to thoroughly set Spader up as an emotional cripple, though it takes a feeble stab at it.
When you leave a good Hitchcock movie, you think, "That could have been me." When you leave Dream Lover, you think, "eight bucks, and they said it was Hitchcock-like!p.s. For the commenter who was impressed by the movie's "paranoia is a heightened state of awareness" line: that's the signature statement of the Scottish (anti-)pyschiatrist R.D. Laing from the '70s.
In "Dream Lover", a prosperous architect (Spader) marries a too-good-to-be-true woman (Amick) and gets more than he bargained for and possibly more than he can handle.
Full of plot holes and improbabilities, be sure to dumb yourself down for "Dream Lover", stick around for the punchline ending, and enjoy.
As we go through it all, we come to understand that he had his dream woman all along and blew it for capricious human nature, it opens with him being divorced from her.It sits for a while on an edge I like.
Ray Reardon (James Spader) is a successful architect.
This rather slow romantic thriller reminds me a little of the old "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" show from the 1960s -- an engaging idea with little effort spent in polishing it up in a satisfying manner, as if the writers were working under a deadline.A rich architect (Spader) accidentally meets a ravishing young woman (Amick) at an art show.
As one of the guests at a party remarks, the child doesn't look like Spader at all.
Amick swoops around in slinky gowns and glamorous hair dos and a Rajah's fortune in jewels, and Spader labors away at the firm, bringing home the shekels to pay for his perfect family.About half-way through the film, things get a little twisted though.
And Spader is required to do what all sane people in the movies do under similar circumstances.
In any case, Spader enlists his first wife in a ploy to get Amick to visit him.
And the climax looks like an idea someone dreamed up while stoned.
(My dreams are splotchy and not half so neatly organized.) Spader does fairly well in his role.
Larry Williams, as a weak friend of Spader's, talks fast but comes across more as a self-indulgent idiot than a good pal.It's not an insulting film.
Handsome and successful architect Ray Reardon (a strong and engaging performance by James Spader) is recovering from a painful divorce when he meets and immediately falls in love with the charming and beautiful Leena Mathers (a marvelously sultry and enchanting portrayal by the luscious Madchen Amick).
Writer/director Nicholas Kazan relates the crafty and involving story at a steady pace, peppers the picture with several neatly surreal dream sequences, and delivers several nifty twists and turns that culminate in one startling doozy of a surprise downbeat ending.
However, he has recently gone through a very painful divorce.His friends try to cheer him up by showing him the positive sides of being single but for Ray marriage and stability is just too important.But when he meets Lena his gloom is quickly forgotten.
She is beautiful, sensual, mysterious and he is drawn to her like a moth to a candle.They marry quickly, have their first child and Ray lives in a total bliss.But then strange incidents occur which shed some light on Lena's background.Ray slowly realises that he hardly knows anything about her at all....For once James spader plays a decent character whose misfortunes have nothing to do with him.
Nothing really does.Amick is okay to begin with, but hen she just goes way over the top it's almost border-lining pantomime.It's all very yuppie and snobbishly made, almost as if it was made for the middle classes, but I hated the fact that they did this, I don't live like that, and why do all these things happen to stupidly rich people.If you are a Spader fan, it's worth watching, he is good, but for anyone else, it's a mess.
Dream Lover is about a man who marries a woman and then has questions about her past.
Dream Lover features a fine performance by James Spader, one of my favorite actors and a good comic relief performance by Larry Miller.
Everyone loved Sex, Lies and Videotape, but no one has heard of Dream Lover(which is a far superior movie).The movie is fast paced and moves with ease.
Amick is a wonderful actress and has a great report with Spader.
You'll recognize some of them, but the ones that stand out are in the nut house.This movie proves that sometimes hitting a woman is justified and it takes very little wrong doing to be committed.
Hitchcock made his plot twists appear believable, the twists in this film just seem silly.
Good paranoia thriller with an excellent twist payoff.
Ray marries Lena on the rebound after his divorce.
But the reveal is not the best bit Hang in there, because there is a payoff which is worth the admission money on its own.This little known and undervalued film, starring James Spader in an early role with Madchen Amick is a hidden gem.
Only one reason to watch it -- James Spader.
James Spader has always been a rather interesting actor, and often he has played slightly creepy characters.
Nevertheless, he is a fascinating actor to watch.The problem with this film is the ending.
And so, instead of playing it safe (since he is not really crazy), he does the one thing that will keep him there, never to regain his children and home.Mädchen Amick is effective here as the mysterious wife...although (and here's another problem) we never quite learn why she is what she is; I was not at all familiar with her as an actress.
Larry Miller...well, I never understood him as an actor...and still don't.This is the type of film I often like -- a suspense thriller.