Sweet Dreams (1985)
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94% of critics liked it
(18 reviews) -
77% of users liked it
(6,289 ratings)
Patsy Cline was one of the first great female stars of country music, and her best-known hits (such as "Sweet Dreams" and "Walking After Midnight") not only broadened the audience for country but brought a new sophistication to the Nashville sound. Cline was at the peak of her… More Patsy Cline was one of the first great female stars of country music, and her best-known hits (such as "Sweet Dreams" and "Walking After Midnight") not only broadened the audience for country but brought a new sophistication to the Nashville sound. Cline was at the peak of her popularity when she died in a plane crash in 1963, and Sweet Dreams is a biopic which examines her life and career, with a particular focus on her troubled relationship with her second husband, Charlie Dick. Cline (played by Jessica Lange) is unhappily married and playing small-time gigs in West Virginia when she meets Dick (Ed Harris), whose charm and aggressive self-confidence catch her attention. In time, Cline leaves her husband to marry Dick, and she gives up music to focus on raising their children. But after Dick goes into the Army, Cline begins singing again, and after joining forces with manager Randy Hughes (David Clennon), Cline becomes a rising star on the country music scene. However, Cline's success fuels her self-confidence, much to Dick's annoyance, and he becomes increasingly abusive (both physically and emotionally) as she attempts to assert her independence. Rather than attempt to re-create Patsy Cline's vocals, Jessica Lange instead opted to lip-synch with Cline's original recordings. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Lisa Fruchtman, Rob Fruchtman
- Genres
- Documentary, Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense
PG-13,
- In Theaters
- Oct 2, 1985 Wide
- On DVD
- Aug 7, 2001
- Studio
- HBO Video
Critic Reviews
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Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times
Lange and Harris, dangerously well-matched, give us lovers whom only success could sunder.
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
The two main performances are excellent: Lange plays the singer without a hint of condescension to her dreams of 'a big house with yellow roses', while Harris is persuasively menacing, with an inventively foul mouth.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
Miss Lange makes herself a perfect physical extension of the vibrant, changeable, enormously expressive woman who can be heard on these recordings.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
There isn't the sense of a well-shaped structure in this movie; there's no clear idea of what the filmmakers thought about Patsy Cline, or what thoughts her life is supposed to inspire.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Director Karel Reisz and screenwriter Robert Getchell create a tightly woven drama with two strong main characters and a number of fine supporting roles, and the love story at the film's center is convincing.
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Cast
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Jessica Lange
as Patsy Cline
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Ed Harris
as Charlie Dick
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Ann Wedgeworth
as Hilda Hensley
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David Clennon
as Randy Hughes
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James Staley
as Gerald Cline
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Gary Basaraba
as Woodhouse
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John Goodman
as Otis
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P.J. Soles
as Wanda
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Caitlin Kelch
as Sylvia Hensley
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Terri Gardner
as Old Singer
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Patricia Allison
as Surgery Nurse
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William D. Byrd
as Bass in Patsy's Band
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Robert L. Dasch
as John Hensley
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John Walter Davis
as Stone
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Colton Edwards
as Baby Randy
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Tony Frank
as Bartender
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Jerry Haynes
as Owen Bradley
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Richard Kidney
as TV Technician
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Bruno Kirby
as Arthur Godfrey
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Jim Norman
as Studio Musician
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Robert Rothwell
as Plastic Surgeon
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Charles Walker
as Cowboy Copas
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Kenneth White
as Big Bill Shakey
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Boxcar Willie
as Old Man in Jail
- Greg Brickman
- Harry Madsen
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Michael David Black
as Singer/Guitar [Patsy's Band]
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Walter Caton
as Fiddle in Krackers Band
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Irv Cox
as Studio Musician
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Paul W. Crisman
as Opry Singer
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Carlton Cuse
as Sergeant
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John E. Davis
as Skip Cartmill
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Dennis Donaldson
as Piano in Krackers Band
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Holly Filler
as Madrine
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Peter Robert Grant
as Studio Musician
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Douglas B. Green
as Opry Singer
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Jimmy Mack Hodge Jr.
as Steel Guitar in Krackers Band
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Johnnie Ray Jones
as Guitar in Opry Band
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Frank Knapp Jr
as Hawkshaw Hawkins
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Fred LaBour
as Opry Singer
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William Landers
as Studio Musician
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Odie Palmer
as Electric Guitar in Krackers Band
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Courtney Parker
as Older Julie
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Gary W. Pigg
as Opry Singer
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Aleda Pope
as Girl Friend at Fair
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Missy Proulx
as Girl Friend at Fair
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Jake T. Robinson
as Biker
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Toni Sawyer
as Baby Nurse
- Herb Schneider
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Jack Slater
as Recording Engineer
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John M. Smarr
as Accoustic Guitar in Patsy's Band
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Timothy N. Tappen
as Piano in Opry Band
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William Edward Taylor
as Guitar in Opry Band
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Fred Paul Tenley
as Electric Guitar in Krackers Band
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Jimmy Vann
as Studio Musician
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Don Warden
as Steel Guitar in Opry Band
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Curtis Young
as Singer Guitar in Patsy's Band
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Fred K. Young
as Drums in Patsy's Band
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James Bartley Young
as Acoustic Guitar in Krackers Band
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Stoney Jackson
as Announcer at Grand Ol' Opry
- Bruce Kirby
