Talk about bad karma. Before this New Age love story even begins, the family dog has died. Next to go in an (offscreen) auto accident are the two children, followed by husband Robin Williams (in earnest dramatic mode) and finally, his grief-stricken wife (Annabella Sciorra), who commits suicide. He makes it to heaven. She does not. Declaring they are soul mates whose love transcends the big chill, he ventures into Hell to reclaim her so they can be reincarnated and get a second chance on Earth. Baby Boomers who like to imagine they will live forever may respond to this New Age love story that for all its cloying pop psycho-babble (spouted mostly by Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Williams's ethereal escort) is a wonder to behold. The film's Oscar nominations for Best Visual Effects and Art Direction are well deserved as visionary director Vincent Ward (The Navigator, Map of the Human Heart) conjures up breathtaking images of heaven (a pigment paradise inspired by one of Sciorra's paintings) and hell (a sea of anguished faces). Recommended for fans of Ghost and Somewhere in Time, the latter, like this film, based on a novel by Richard Matheson, who also wrote some of The Twilight Zone's signature episodes. (K. Lee Benson)
What Dreams May Come
(Polygram, 114 min., PG-13, <b>DVD</b>) Vol. 14, Issue 2
What Dreams May Come
Star Ratings
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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