Dream Lover (1994)

54% of critics liked it
(13 reviews)
40% of users liked it
(812 ratings)

A man discovers that what he doesn't know can hurt him, especially when it comes to his wife, in this suspense drama. Ray Reardon (James Spader) is an architect who has just gone through a messy divorce; while his friends sing the praises of the single life, Ray would prefer to settle into a life of… More A man discovers that what he doesn't know can hurt him, especially when it comes to his wife, in this suspense drama. Ray Reardon (James Spader) is an architect who has just gone through a messy divorce; while his friends sing the praises of the single life, Ray would prefer to settle into a life of middle-class domesticity with a home, wife, and family. Ray meets a beautiful but mysterious woman named Lena (Madchen Amick) at a party, and for him it's love at first sight; while she remains elusive, Ray pursues her avidly, and before long he proposes, even though he doesn't know her especially well. A few years later, they're seemingly happily married with children. But Lena's behavior starts to become erratic and depressive, and she is no longer willing to account for where she's been or what she's been doing. Ray is convinced that Lena has been having an affair and begins doing some research into her past; he soon discovers her previous life bears little resemblance to what she told him and that she's been lying to him about nearly every part of her history and their relationship. Lena contends that she's just "a regular screwed-up person," but in time, Ray realizes that there's a purpose behind her duplicity: she's trying to convince people that he is insane. Dream Lover was the directorial debut of screenwriter Nicholas Kazan. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 43 min.
Directed By: Nicholas Kazan
Written By: Nicholas Kazan
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1994 Wide
On DVD: Jul 26, 1999
Studio: PolyGram Video

Critic Reviews

Nell Minow, Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
Engagingly creepy thriller.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A psychological thriller that explores sexual politics from many perspectives
Clint Morris, Moviehole
Madchen Amick is super-sexy. Some of the love scenes are steamier than cooked rice. If that's your idea of entertainment, you've found your baby.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
This was not a very satisfying thriller.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

A strangely done movie,
Dean M

This psychological thriller is rather coldly calculated, but slickly made and unpredictable - it will certainly hold your interest, through you may hate yourself in the morning.
Deb S

James Spader plays a very successful businessman who just got a divorce and is very lonely until he meets the beautiful Mädchen Amick. They marry and have children but soon he discovers that his seemingly perfect "Dream Lover" of a wife has many hidden secrets that she… More
James Spader plays a very successful businessman who just got a divorce and is very lonely until he meets the beautiful Mädchen Amick. They marry and have children but soon he discovers that his seemingly perfect "Dream Lover" of a wife has many hidden secrets that she always seem to have a perfect explanation for. <br/>DREAM LOVER has a tightly wound plot and the twists and turns really work taking the viewer along for the ride as well. Definitely worth a rent for anyone looking for a psychological Neo-Noir style mystery thriller.
Lauren D

There was only one reason why I watched this and that reason was satisfied. Anyway, the actual movie was lame. I was distracted by above reason and in the olden days I would probably give this a high rating, but I'm looking past that, and rating fairly (sort of). Yeah, so… More
There was only one reason why I watched this and that reason was satisfied. Anyway, the actual movie was lame. I was distracted by above reason and in the olden days I would probably give this a high rating, but I'm looking past that, and rating fairly (sort of). Yeah, so without being cryptic... the plot was lame, acting was ok, good endind but the movie was fairly sucky.

Cast

            James Spader as Ray Reardon

            Mädchen Amick as Lena Reardon

            Bess Armstrong as Elaine

            Fredric Lehne as Larry

            Larry Miller as Norman

            Kathleen York as Martha

            Blair Tefkin as Cheryl

            Scott Coffey as Billy

            Clyde Kusatsu as Judge

            William Shockley as Buddy

            Erick Avari as Dr. Spatz

            Jeanne Bates as Jeanne

            Gretchen Becker as Celine Rogers

            Paul Ben-Victor as Clown

            Michael Chow as Mr Mura

            Talya Ferro as Cora's Sister

            Alexander Folk as Oscar

            Robert David Hall as Dr. Sheen

            Irwin Keyes as Officer

            Sandra Kinder as Beautician

            Tom Lillard as Mr Sneeder

            Michael Milhoan as Ray's Lawyer

            Joel McKinnon Miller as Minister

            Joseph Scorsiani as Martha's Lawyer

            Janel Moloney as Alice

            Lucy Butler as Ray's Secretary

            Archie Lang as Judge

            Harriet C. Leider as Carnival Woman

            Shawne Rowe as Debby

            Kate Williamson as Mrs Sneeder
See full cast