This is one of Jaglom's most curious and oddly moving films.
Comment
09/07/07
Hollywood Dreams (2007)
38 %
Reviews Counted: 26 Fresh: 10 Rotten:16 Average Rating: 5.2/10
Consensus:
Yet another film about a small town girl trying to make it in the City of Angels, Hollywood Dreams' improvisation and absurdity tests viewers' patience.
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Synopsis: Newcomer Tanna Frederick stars alongside Justin Kirk in this story of a Hollywood wannabe. Arriving in LA from Iowa with big dreams of stardom, Margie (Frederick) embarks on a heartbreaking and hilarious journey through the the movie-making industry.... [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: Tanna Frederick, Justin Kirk, Karen Black, Melissa Leo, Zack Norman
Reviews
I've been among the unbelievers, but Hollywood Dreams turned me around -- to a point. Perhaps it's because the film is among Jaglom's best, love him or leave him.
07/06/07
Another clumsy Jaglom vanity project that's as grating as fingernails on a blackboard.
06/26/07
This is a quirky little movie that may have some people heading for the exits before the first 15 minutes have passed.
06/12/07
It's the Hollywood dream factory as seen through [director] Jaglom's lens, and it's often out of focus.
06/08/07
Top Critic
The balance of this indie production (Jaglom's 14th) consists of his usual weakly improvised relationship comedy.
06/07/07
Jaglom's Hollywood Dreams are far closer to reality than they might seem. Unfortunately.
06/07/07
[Director] Jaglom's scruffy style doesn't carry it through. He puts enough toxic insincerity on screen to singe, though.
06/06/07
The director lets actors do their thing, to a fault, which makes Frederick's blitzkrieg of a performance often off-putting but occasionally mesmerizing.
05/30/07
An indifferent stylist at best, [Jaglom's] films stand or fall depending on the talent and appeal of his leads, and he's found a good one in Frederick.
05/25/07
Amateurishly put together and reverently self-referential it's hard to imagine this movie having much appeal for anyone beyond its own cast and crew. Given the apparent size of its budget, though, that's probably enough to make it profitable.
05/25/07
Hollywood Dreams is a must for Jaglom fans. For other viewers, it will depend upon how much they can take of Jaglom's improvisational style and Frederick's over-the-top, tear-filled acting.
05/25/07
The biggest problem is inexperienced lead Tanna Frederick, who overplays every scene.
05/25/07
Knowing but never jaded, Hollywood Dreams is driven by Ms. Frederick's no-boundaries commitment to her broken character, a performance that's as startling as it is touching.
05/25/07
Top Critic
Hollywood Dreams is meant to be an insider's tale, but it feels like it comes from the cinema of hangers-on.
05/25/07
An exceedingly modest comedy an annoying motormouth with almost nothing interesting to say. ... If I ever laughed, I don't remember it.
05/24/07
Too often Jaglom's touch is slightly off, piling up a mountain of absurdist scenes rife with oddball, "human" behavior that tests viewer patience.
05/23/07
Like John Cassavetes and Martin Scorsese, Jaglom knows how to push a scene into realms of such emotional nakedness that the viewer starts to feel like a voyeur looking in on relationships that are none of his or her business.
05/18/07
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• Hollywood Dreams at Rotten Tomatoes
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