On to the review!
Dream House is a deeply flawed film, and it all starts with the marketing. In order to properly sell a mystery/thriller, you need to not give the audience everything they needs to know to piece together the twist(s). I would like Hollywood to listen to me just this once: Fire whatever marketing team/individual/troll put together the movie trailer. By fire, I mean set on fire, then discontinue their employment.
The movie itself isn't much better, even if I hadn't pieced together the entire thing about 30 minutes in.
I guess spoilers from this point on, because there's no damn way I can discuss this movie without ruining something.
When you make a mystery movie, you need red herrings. When you only introduce characters that are totally necessary to the plot....you're a lazy damn movie. I am seriously not exaggerating when I say that this lean film is better suited to a drama. In fact, given the list of A-list actors roped into Dream House, it's a shame they didn't actually...y'know...utilize them.
Daniel Craig stars as Will Atenton while his real-life wife Rachel Weisz plays his movie wife, Libby. In the beginning of the film Mr. Atenton quits his job and moves into a newly-purchased home with Libby and their two kids. Then....weird things start to happen. It seems that several years ago an entire family was murdered in the Atenton residence. A woman and two children were died, but the father survived and was committed to a local nuthouse.
But....*gasp*....Daniel Craig's family consists of a woman and two children!
Now people are acting weird around him!
Maybe HE killed his family!....
or...
MAYBE HE DIDN'T!!!!!?!???!?!?!!
Or maybe he did.
Unfortunately, there is genuine chemistry between Craig and Mrs. Weisz, and Naomi Watts does just enough to make you care about her turn as the neighbor, Ann. Elias Koteas shows up a few times, seemingly slumming it, but he also does a fine job of playing his part. It's just a real shame that all this 'acting' is completely wasted on such a hackneyed plot. Also, why the hell do I keep confusing Elias Koteas with Christopher Meloni?
I really don't have anything else to say except rent this movie if you want to see it but already caught the trailer. If you like good acting and don't care about plot, then by all means, check this out. The theater experience did absolutely nothing for me, but I guess it's a good thing that nobody walked out? I guess?
For a good mystery, you could always get off your duff and watch The Usual Suspects or The Others or The Sixth Sense if you haven't already. In Dream Houses' defense, I guess it's not the worst movie with a word for home in the title. The Haunted Mansion bears that torch.
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