Sweet Dreams (1985)

BITTERSWEET BIOPIC OF PATSY CLINE

Before I saw "Sweet Dreams," I knew that Patsy Cline had a string of country-pop hits like "I Fall To Pieces" and "Crazy"; and I knew that she died in a tragic plane crash in 1963. After I saw this movie, I was hooked-- a Patsy Cline fan for life!
This movie seems rather obviously inspired by the earlier success of Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn in "Coal Miner's Daughter." In "Daughter," Beverly D'Angelo played Patsy Cline and sang her own vocals. As good as D'Angelo was, (she received an Oscar nomination) you won't miss her here. Jessica Lange gives a full-bodied performance. She is not required to sing. What actress, no matter how talented, could hope to match the incomparable emotion and sound of Patsy Cline's singing voice? Instead, Jessica Lange lip-sinc's to Patsy Cline's vocals-- to absolute perfection; in much the same manner as Tammy Blanchard and Judy Davis lip-sinced to Judy Garland's legendary vocals in the superior 2001 TV biopic "Me And My Shadows: Life With Judy Garland."
Karel Reisz's 1985 biopic is very selective about which aspects of Patsy's life are depicted. None of Patsy's friends, such as Loretta Lynn, are portrayed here. Spanning 1956-1963, the movie focuses firmly on Patsy's struggle to the top of the music charts and her tumultuous, violent marriage to Charlie Dick. Ed Harris matches Lange in intensity all the way as heavy drinking, hard partying Charlie. The film depicts Patsy and Charlie as living, loving, and fighting with a passion. Ann Wedgeworth gives a strong supporting performance as Hilda Hensley, Patsy's mother, and John Goodman (from "Roseanne" and Lange's TV version of "A Streetcar Named Desire") appears as one of Charlie's drinking buddies.
I love how Jessica Lange portrays Patsy as a spirited, vulnerable, but extremely vibrant woman who seldom takes "stuff" from anybody. Like Sissy Spacek and Beverly D'Angelo before her, Jessica Lange received a much deserved Oscar nomination; and this is my favorite of Jessica Lange's movies and performances. When Charlie first sees her, he says, "Hey, I want you to get your coat, get in my car so we can get to know each other." Patsy instantly responds, "You want a lot, don't ya. Well, people in hell want ice water. That don't mean they get it!" She describes Charlie to her mother as "some clown with hot britches." Encountering Charlie for the second time at a bar, shrewd Patsy sizes him up perfectly, saying she knows exactly what he wants in the backseat of his car.
Much later, when Charlie lamely tries to explain why their house is a drunken mess, an exhausted Patsy (she has returned home from touring on the road) replies, "Obviouly, you've got me confused with someone who gives a s##%%t."
Patsy says she wants it all, and the film takes the firm position that Patsy definitely deserved to have it all. As we watch the film, we root for Patsy to succeed in her music career, in life, and in love. Reality is, of course, much uglier than that. Patsy may have wished for a house with yellow roses, but her life was definitely not a bed of roses. The worst thing about the script (traveling down an overly-familiar show-business biopic path) is that we see, or already know well, where it is going. The film may soften people and events, but it never completely sanitizes them for audience comfort. Scenes of drunken Charlie beating Patsy up, and the plane crash that killed Patsy and three others, are harrowing to watch. However, our knowledge of the bittersweet facts of Patsy Cline's life gives the intense performances an undercurrent of heartbreaking sadness. You will never forget Patsy Cline's incredible voice or Jessica Lange's incredible performance. July 17, 2008

Favorite movie

Great autobiography and just a good well acted movie. Watch it over and over. May 30, 2008

sweey dreams movie

great bio movie i know it is little older but interesting life story well told May 19, 2008

great movie

I watched this movie so many times. I am a huge fan of Patsy Cline. This is about some of her adult life and her untimely death that ended very tragic. She was and always will be one of the great country music female artist out there. April 19, 2008

My movie

This story is such an amazing story. As I watch the scenes, I see alot of myself in Jessica who plays Patsy. Her music is simple, classic, and touches the soul. It is always sad to see a musician die, as it makes you wonder how much more could they have done.
Ed Harris is phenomenal in everything he does, and the chemistry between the two actors plays well into the story. March 7, 2008

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