Dream House (2011)

Directed by: Jim Sheridan | 93 minutes | drama, thriller | Actors: Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts, Marton Csokas, Claire Geare, Taylor Geare, Rachel G. Fox, Mark Wilson, Jonathan Potts, Lynne Griffin, Elias Koteas, Gregory Smith, Sarah Gadon, Yulia Lukin, Jane Alexander, Chris Owens, James Collins, Marlee Otto, Fernando Lara, Joe Pingue, Sam Keeley, Ryan Blakely, David Huband, Douglas Nyback, Bernadette Quigley, Robert J. Tavenor

‘The movie didn’t turn out great. But I with my wife. Fair Trade.’ Daniel Craig at least got something nice from ‘Dream House’ (2011). If he hadn’t been allowed to face Rachel Weisz, with whom he started a relationship and tied the knot shortly afterwards, he would have erased the flopped thriller from his memory long ago. As did director Jim Sheridan, by the way, who went out of his way to get his name off the credits. The veteran and respected filmmaker, who earned Oscar nominations for ‘My Left Foot’ (1989), ‘In the Name of the Father’ (1993) and ‘In America’ (2002), saw producer Morgans Creek mutilate his film in such a way that he couldn’t and didn’t want to identify with it at all.

All that fumbling between director and production house has of course had an effect on the end result. ‘Dream House’ has become a messy mishmash that does not shy away from a genre cliché. Sheridan had in mind a dark character study, while Morgans Creek preferred to make a haunted house film à la ‘The Others’ (2001). ‘Dream House’ ended up being neither. Craig plays Will Atenton, a successful publisher who quits his busy job to live with his wife Libby (Rachel Weisz) and two young daughters in a beautiful detached villa in Connecticut. However, it does not take long before the idyll is brutally disrupted. First the girls see a strange man at the window and Libby hears noises from the basement, then Will learns that a huge drama has taken place in the house. The previous father of the house is said to have murdered his own wife and children. The mysterious neighbor Ann (Naomi Watts) knows more about it…

With a starting point as described above you can make a nice film. Maybe not one that excels in originality, but with the right approach, a really nice thriller can roll out. However, the elaboration of ‘Dream House’ is somewhat lacking. Cardboard characters, a plot that just won’t come to life, just one scare that comes too early in the film… The biggest mistake made here, however, is the unfortunate placement of the big plot twist, the reveal that it’s all about and that turns the film on its head. In ‘Dream House’ this crucial turn is already halfway through the film, with the result that the second half is no longer about anything. Sheridan and screenwriter David Loucka fill the remaining forty minutes with useless posturing about neighbor Ann and her failed marriage, and a far-fetched climax that kills the viewer’s last bit of interest in one fell swoop.

If you look closely, you will see small pluses. The film is beautifully shot and the chemistry between Craig and Weisz is – just like in real life – believable. But that’s about all. Craig wasn’t cut out for a role like this (he simply doesn’t captivate for a moment and looks empty and uninspired) and the exceptional talents of Weisz and Watts are not used enough. Like basically every talent involved in this film is not used enough. It is noticeable in everything that the noses of the makers were not in the same direction and that is the death knell for any production. It’s not a good sign if you look at the clock before the movie is halfway through to see how long it will last. With ‘Dream House’ you get that tendency after fifteen minutes. Would this thriller have been better if the producer had let Sheridan run its course? We will never know and have to make do with this pitiful job. Sin.