Dream for an Insomniac . Austin Chronicle . 03-15-99

Dream for an Insomniac

DIRECTED BY: Tiffanie DeBartolo

REVIEWED: 03-15-99

Twenty somethings in coffee shops. Day-dreaming, unemployed artists. Sounds like a typical Friends episode if not the latest slacker comedy. In a sense, Dream for an Insomniac is both. After all, it's got perky Jennifer Aniston cast opposite a slew of pretty faces and a story that's as contrived as any episode of the aforementioned "Must-See TV." The plot revolves around Frankie (Ione Skye), a San Francisco actress who can't seem to get to sleep. Although she never rationalizes that working in the caffeinated surroundings of the Blue Eyes Cafe (Frankie, Blue Eyes. Get it?) may be what's preventing her from a night of shut-eye, she wanders around in a reverie, quoting a variety of profound authors, pop stars, and philosophers. Enter dream man David (Mackenzie Astin), a babyfaced writer who seems to be the only man that relates to Frankie's kooky quotes and incessant fantasies. The trouble is, she's moving to L.A. in a matter of days and has to make David realize that he's her destined soulmate. In some ways, the film works, particularly Skye as the doe-eyed dreamer with a killer smile. In most areas, however, the unriveting Gen-X dialogue between her Astin, Aniston (as a fellow actress who obnoxiously practices dialects), and other clichéd characters (a rocker and a gay man who feigns straightness in front of his father) is quite stupid. One awful scene depicts the coffee shop buds debating the greatness of Eddie Vedder versus the greatness of Bono, even going as far as saying that Vedder is Jesus to Bono's God! In the end, the movie is great to look at (considering the Bay-area backdrop and three beautiful leading stars), but as a whole, this is above-average sitcom material without a studio audience.

--Mike Emery

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