Dream Lover Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Dream Lover Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 6, 2022

Nicholas Kazan's "Dream Lover" (1993) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sandpiper Pictures. The only supplemental feature on the release is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

It takes six men to carry a guy to his grave, it takes one woman to put him there. Where does this statement come from? Can you answer right away without cheating? It is produced by Marlon Brando in Ralph Levy’s classic comedy Bedtime Story, which believe it or not is a very educational film. Can you prove that Brando is wrong? I do not think so. He speaks a timeless truth. It is pretty darn funny, but it is still a timeless truth. Here is another one. If your crazy friend sets you up on a blind date, do not expect to meet a single Miss Universe. Prepare yourself to meet another crazy person that could and almost certainly would be every bit as unpredictable and annoying as your crazy friend. Trust me on this one. These types of blind dates are always massive disasters with some lasting consequences. If you are lucky, you will be able to forget your horrendous experience in a month or so. If you are not, you will have a very colorful story to share for the rest of your life.

In Nicholas Kazan’s Dream Lover, James Spader plays a recently divorced and very successful architect named Ray who has one of those horrendous experiences I just described to you. He meets his crazy blind date during a reception in a fancy art gallery and in a matter of minutes she almost succeeds in convincing him that it would be in his best interest to remain single for the rest of his life. However, while trying to walk away from the crazy date, Ray spills his wine on a beautiful stranger (Madchen Amick) who takes his breath away and then quickly disappears into the crowd. He does not pursue her, but a few days later they meet in the supermarket, she recognizes him, and he invites her to have coffee with him. Instead, they have dinner and begin an intense romantic relationship. Feeling like a lottery winner, Ray then proposes to her, and not too long after that they have a fabulous wedding.

You can probably guess where Dream Lover heads after that because the change in direction and tone is beyond logical. Plus, you might have seen some of Polygram’s old promotional materials for Dream Lover that reveal exactly what takes place in its second half. Hold on. Does this mean that Polygram spoiled Dream Lover and once you see some of these promotional materials there is no need to waste your time on it? Nope. Dream Lover is a lot like Bedtime Story. You can guess how it would end, but the educational material it produces will keep you very entertained.

A lot of older reviews have described Dream Lover as a steamy erotic thriller that produces some genuine fireworks. This recent Blu-ray release features an R-rated version of the film but there is a slightly longer unrated version that years ago was made available on VHS and DVD. It is your right to feel disappointed that the unrated version is not included on the Blu-ray release, but I assure you that the few extra minutes of skin that are missing are utterly irrelevant. In fact, I prefer the R-rated version because contrary to old claims the sex in Dream Lover is rather poorly shot. I am sorry, but it is true. There are no genuine fireworks in it.

What very much looks and feels genuine are the transformations of the two lovers. Ray is the classic rich target for the ambitious single girl that desires a secure future, so if you walk away from Dream Lover with the impression that his misery is seriously exaggerated or even unrealistic, well, you just do not have any friends like him. Out there in the real world, there are guys like Ray that are played all the time and almost exactly as it is revealed in Dream Lover. What about the mysterious beautiful girl with multiple names? Can a calculating chameleon like her roam free and undetected? Absolutely. A great chameleon is fully aware that beauty is power and is always willing to abuse it to get what it desires.

Dream Lover Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Dream Lover arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sandpiper Pictures.

The release is sourced from an older but good organic master that was supplied by MGM. While there are certain wider panoramic shots that reveal the age of the master, there are no traces of problematic digital corrections, so the overall quality of the visuals ranges from good to very good. Typically, well-lit close-ups look most attractive, but there are some darker nighttime scenes that look just as good. Color balance is pleasing and stable. However, there are a few spots where it is clear that saturation levels should be better and some supporting nuances need to be adjusted. (The footage from the trip to Texas has a few such spots. See screencapture #4 and 19). Somewhat surprisingly, virtually all of the darker footage looks quite strong and does not reveal serious black crush, which is a common limitation on older master. Image stability is good. All in all, even though a proper new 2K master would have given Dream Lover a fresher and more attractive organic appearance, this Blu-ray release presents the film quite well. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Dream Lover Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not encounter any technical anomalies to report in our review. However, I suspect that if the audio is fully remastered it will have a slightly better dynamic amplitude. Why? Because there are areas of the film where it feels like Christopher Young's score should be making a great impression. Again, there is nothing concerning about the quality of the current lossless track, but I think that a proper new remix will produce some minor yet meaningful improvements in terms of dynamic flexibility. To be honest, I would not mind having a 5.1 lossless track for this film as well.

Dream Lover Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Dream Lover. In English, without optional English subtitles. (3 min).

Dream Lover Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

James Spader and Mädchen Amick are wonderful in Dream Lover, a twisty thriller about two very ambitious individuals with different goals and philosophies of life. Every single development that is portrayed in it is entirely believable now, so during the thirty years since Nicholas Kazan directed it a lot has changed. This recent Blu-ray release from Sandpiper Pictures is sourced from an older but quite nice organic master that was supplied by MGM. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.