Rent Dreamland (2019)

Ok Period Action Drama - Dreamland review by GI

Dreamland is a romantic drama with flashes of action and a sort of twist on the Bonnie & Clyde narrative. Set in Texas during the Great depression and disillusioned young man, Eugene (Finn Cole), gets some excitement when he finds wanted fugitive Allison (Margot Robbie) hiding in the family barn. he agrees to help her despite his stepfather being a local deputy sheriff committed to hunting her down. As you'd expect a slightly bizarre relationship begins between them. The film holds the most interest in Robbie's motives, is she lying about her involvement in the killing of child?, Is she does using this naive young man to engineer an escape to Mexico. This is not a bad film, it drags at times and ends as you'd expect. It's worth checking out but not overly memorable.

Good acting but a really boring script - Dreamland review by AS

I gave up on this scriptwriter when the escaping couple who had absolutely no money checked into a hotel so that they could have some steamy love scenes or not. If you enjoy a story based on individuals betraying those who trusted and cared for them, then this is the film for you.

Hypnotic and Bewitching Movie set in the American Dustbowl of the 1930s, almost 5 stars - Dreamland review by PV

I watched this transfixed - I was not expecting much because of so many mediocre reviews, but I thought it a brilliant film, almost 5 stars.

The characters are strong, three dimensional, including the minor ones from the family etc. The acting superb - especially Finn Cole (from Peaky Blinders). Yet again a Brit actor playing a US character with a bang-on American accent and nailing it. If I were an actor in the USA, I'd be worried...

OK so people say it is a Bonnie and Clyde story - but not really. Any story with a male and female robbers will get that lazy comparison, like any dinosaur story will get compared to Jurassic Park. Wrong and lazy tbh. This story is its own creation.

I could not guess the ending; it could have gone either way or many ways. I like that.

Cinematography of the devastating 1930s dustbowl which ruined farmers (see the Wizard of Oz) is great, though this is filmed in New Mexico.

The jangling music really adds to it all too. I was surprised to see the girl wearing headphones which could pick up the radio, in 1936, but I presume this was accurate. Just like the remote control TV (with a cord) in 1960 film The Apartment, and a helicopter in the 1949 Ealing comedy Passport to Pimlico. Tech is older then we think...

Interesting fact - one of the associate producers (these do nothing usually but provide the funding) if from the Mandela family. Maybe why a rare black farming family is briefly featured.

Anyway 4.5 stars, rounded down.