THE DREAM TEAM
A film review by Randy Parker
Copyright 1996 Randy Parker
RATING: *** (out of ****)
(Review written in 1989)
THE DREAM TEAM is a thoroughly entertaining comedy featuring four loveable characters who just happen to be slightly insane. Billy, played by Michael Keaton, is an extremely temperamental mental ward patient whose short fuse and violent tantrums tend to get him in trouble. Christopher Lloyd portrays Henry, an obsessive-compulsive who requires that everything be neat, orderly, on schedule, and by the books. He thinks he's a doctor so he walks around wearing a suit and carrying a clipboard on which he constantly scribbles notes and files reports. Jack, played by Peter Boyle, thinks he's Jesus. And finally, there's Stephen Furst as Albert, a chubby catatonic who speaks only in baseball and television phrases.
THE DREAM TEAM follows the misadventures that beset the four-some when their psychiatrist, Dr. Weitzman, takes them out of the hospital for a field trip to Yankee Stadium. During a pit stop, they get separated from Weitzman and are left to fend for themselves in Manhattan.
The movie's charm derives mostly from the camaraderie and chemistry between its delightful cast. The four leads in the film play off each other quite effectively; they never miss an opportunity to argue, bicker, or insult one another. Henry and Jack, for example, fight over who's going to get to ride in the front passenger seat on the way to the game.
The actors in THE DREAM TEAM have a lot of fun with their characters and with each other. Michael Keaton is well cast as Billy; he gives his cynical character considerable complexity. As the divinely Jack, Peter Boyle succeeds in keeping his one-dimensional character funny and fresh. Although Stephen Furst's catatonic character is cliched, the actor makes him sympathetic and endearing.
While Keaton, Boyle, and Furst are good, it's Christopher Lloyd who really makes the movie special. Lloyd gives yet another outstanding comic performance. His body language (for example, the way he walks) and his facial expressions are perfectly suited to his compulsive character. Lloyd's brilliant performance yields a pathetic, moving, and memorable character.
THE DREAM TEAM is a solid comedy with more depth and drama than you might expect from its simple premise. The characters are so appealing that you can excuse the film for its often outlandish and unbelievable plot.
----------- Randy Parker rparker@slip.net http://www.shoestring.org
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