The Science of Sleep

Director Michel Gondry's (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) latest is about a dreamy would-be artist named Stephane (Gael Garcia Bernal), who alternates between reality and fantasy while trying to cope with a boring new job and a halting romance with his vivacious new neighbor Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Unfortunately, it's really nothing more than a phantasmagorical reworking of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty—albeit with lots of deliberately tacky effects and goofy imagery—that tries desperately to be giddy and effervescent, but never achieves that light, airy feel. Taking refuge from his constricting life, Stephane has difficulty distinguishing between real life and his dream world, and his fantasies grow into more and more elaborate forms (he sometimes literally flies through colorful, pleasantly surrealistic landscapes). One has to admire the facility with which Gondry fills his film with eye-catching animation and imagery fashioned from the most ordinary items (cardboard, cotton, Styrofoam), but his efforts to weave a fable that is both charming and serious simply don't jell. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary (by writer-director Michel Gondry and costars Gael Garcia Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Sacha Bourdo), a 39-minute “making-of” featurette, an 11-minute featurette on Lauri Faggioni (creator of the animals and accessories), the five-minute featurette “Adopt Some Love” (on children helping stray cats), the “Rescue Me” music video by Linda Serbu, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an uneven film.] (F. Swietek)