Kim Basinger tries hard to bring dignity to her dime-store Meryl Streep role in this weepy epic based on the memoirs of an American socialite roughing it on a derelict 100,000-acre ranch in Kenya with her intrepid husband (Vincent Perez) and young son. Almost entirely scenery and labored melodrama, I Dreamed of Africa is an overly poetic effort, tinged with tragedy and adventure but very little depth and no organic flow whatsoever. Director Hugh Hudson (Chariots of Fire) races roughshod over years at a time--like entries being read at random from this woman's diary--leaving little room for character development. Not recommended. (R. Blackwelder)
I Dreamed of Africa
Columbia TriStar, 112 min., PG-13, VHS: $104.75, DVD: $29.95, Aug. 29 Vol. 15, Issue 4
I Dreamed of Africa
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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