User reviews

DAYDREAM NATION – CATCH IT ( B+ ) When was the last time you saw something and wished it never stops? Daydream Nation is one of those coming of age movies, which seems so real and beautiful that you want to watch it for longest you can. The director has nicely incorporated coming of age drama with serial killer on the loose and industrial fire burning. Daydream Nation takes us to three different kinds of lives. Firstly into a young city girl (Caroline) who moves to a small town with her dad but unable to adjust with local teenagers as they are not as smart or intellectual like her. Secondly, a lonely druggy boy (Thurston) who thinks, he never got anything right and always looks for something good to happen in his life. Thirdly, a 30+ male teacher (Barry), who seems perfect from outside but is all broken from inside as his life doesn't turn out the way he hoped for. The collision of these three unlikely lives in the backdrop of serial killer on the loose and industrial fire burning is "Daydream Nation". Kat Dennings gave an honest stealer performance, she made her character realist and believable. It's amazing to see her bringing humor, sorrow and bitchiness to the character with so much depth. Reece Thompson has always done something unusual and indie movies lovers defiantly know him from Rocket Science with Anna Kendrick. Reece Thompson defiantly surprised me yet again; he was naïve, emo & druggy who is falling in love for the first time. Josh Lucas is always the pretty man who gets the girls easily, even this time it happens but it also shows the other side of the perfect looking man. In supporting cast Andie MacDowell, Rachel Blanchard, Ted Whittall and especially Landon Liboiron were impressive. Overall a gripping coming of age movie, which will leave a good long lasting effect.

When faced with a movie that plagiarizes so transparently from such high profile and recent films of the same genre, all I can do is shrug. This film is a cut 'n paste of the biggest teen dramas from the last ten to fifteen years and seems to pride itself on that. You look at the poster and it's right there comparing itself to JUNO and DONNIE DARKO. Throw in a little THE VIRGIN SUICIDES and you've got all the ingredients, the makers of this film have nothing of their own to offer. It seems they just want to be applauded based on their taste in who they sample.

On a technical level, the film is fine. The acting is decent, it's well shot and well scored. The plot mechanics are okay in that things are set up and developed and all resolved by the film's end. I was never bored or angry at the film. It's just that when I can spot the origins of every plot element and stylistic device as being ripped from a small pool of other films that are so well-known and so recent, I can't help but feel that I am watching a film with nothing to say and not even its voice in which to say it.

Judged on its own, it's an okay movie. Nothing really rings true, but it also never really achieves any ambitious level of absurdity either. It feels like a cartoon trying to be deep or a thoughtful film trying too hard to make itself cute and quarky. Either way, huge portions of the film end up feeling insincere. The film takes on some serious issues and plot lines, but frequently backs down either through dismissive humour or by resolving those plot lines in an overly convenient way.

Watching it, I generally felt as indifferent to the film as the main character seems to feel to the people around her who's hearts are getting broken and who are getting killed by serial killers.

I think it was a nice movie to have fun for couple of hours and then forget about it. If you are looking for a relax time, i can recommend this movie. This is a teen romantic comedy that gives you exactly what you expect. They meet, they fell in love, nothing surprising or shocking but not cheesy. The performances are quite good,and the movie drag you inside but that's it. Don't expect anything revolutionary or inspiring except for having 2 hours fun.

Actually, I realized only after the half of the movie that I saw this movie before. So, yes. I watch this movie twice just because I forgot that I watch it before. Long story short, it is a fun movie just to watch and forget about it until you watch it again.

Caroline Wexler (Kat Dennings) moves with her father to a small town. Thurston Goldberg (Reece Thompson) falls for the new girl. She has sex with her teacher Mr. Anderson (Josh Lucas). Ms. Budge (Rachel Blanchard) is the health teacher.

Kat Dennings rules this picture. She overpowers almost everybody in every scene she's in. She has an amazing scene in the girl's bathroom. If there is a problem, it's there's too many side stories going on. Much of it is used to create atmosphere. There's a serial killer roaming the town, and there's an industrial fire burning on the outskirts. Much of it is unnecessary and serves no purpose. Kat Dennings and the teen drama is more than enough.

A rebellious teenager is moved out of the big city to a small town, which she hates. The only person she seems to connect with and like is her teacher. She seduces him and they have a fling. Things get complicated when a young man at her school takes a liking to her and she doesn't realize that she also likes him.

That's the best way to describe this confused film. Daydream Nation has elements that work, but it seems that too much was thrown together for it to feel like a completed and strong narrative. I found that the big city to small town element wasn't raised enough here. It's the catalyst that makes her do the things she does, but it never fees as big an issue as it should. Daydream Nation has many of these things that should be more prominent.

There are a lot of subplots that try to bring more depth to the town and the story. There is something about a serial killer roaming the streets killing young girls as well as some chemical fire that has people wearing masks. These are odd little things that ultimately have no baring on the bigger picture. It would be nice if handled properly, but it feels more like a distraction.

Kat Dennings plays the confused slutty girl. She puts on a face that she is powerful and in control of things, but behind the scenes she is a scared little girl. When another classmate calls her a slut, she laughs it off and then goes on to belittle the other girl. Showing us that those words have no power over her, then once she is alone, she cries in the bathroom stall. She's human, confused and needs guidance, but she won't admit it.

Josh Lucas plays the teacher who is exactly like Denning's character. He gives a calm and intelligent manner on the surface, but underneath he is needy and a coward. The slow reveal of this character is great and Lucas really plays the oddity of this weirdo well. Reece Thompson plays Thurston, the young boy that likes Denning's character. He is a pothead who saw the death of one of his friends, so he's not all there. Another character that is scared and doesn't know where to go with his life. The difference is that he doesn't hide behind a confident demeanor.

One of the quotes for this movie compares it to Juno and Donnie Darko, as if David Lynch were to direct it. Well, it's not that weird. There are mentions of the end of the world, which did remind me of Donnie Darko, but that's about as far as it goes. I had a Dazed & Confused vibe from it, minus the decade/coolness/party vibe that Dazed and Confused has. Daydream Nation is a film that has too many things going on, it confuses itself as to what story it wants to tell.

Let me start by saying I hadn't heard of this film until my girlfriend rented it (she's a film student at NYU). And judging by the cover and the title I had low expectations. So I was surprised to find a weird, funny, strangely beautiful movie wedged between the usual coming-of-age shenanigans. In a lot of ways it reminded me of my favorite writer, Haruki Murakami, in that the setting was banal but the plot (and I use that word loosely) was brimming with odd visual non sequiturs and tangents that were occasionally left dangling. There's a girl who has an affair with her teacher, a burning cloud of smoke, a killer in a white suit, a series of car crashes, kids who smoke everything in their kitchen to see what will get them stoned...the list goes on and on. But the thing is, it almost all works! It's almost like magic realism, albeit in a more grim, apocalyptic setting. So if you're someone who likes linear films, or films that follow all the rules, you'll probably not like this. But if you're like me and you get bored of seeing the same thing over and over, this feels pretty fresh. It definitely entertained me and stuck with me -- especially the ending. Oh yeah, and don't pay attention to the box. This movie has nothing in common with Juno or Donnie Darko (which is sci-fi, for Christ's sake). I have a feeling people latched on to that comment and let it color how they saw the story. So to sum up, I wouldn't recommend this movie to everyone, but I was moved by it and enjoyed its shaggy poetic qualities and erratic twists and turns.

10/10 Lee

At the risk of coming across as a patronizing adult who "doesn't understand!!!", do not bother watching this if you are older than 15. This is truly one of the worst films I have seen all year, in fact possibly ever. Perhaps it's just that, at the ripe old age of 40, I'm too old for "coming of age" movies - I didn't think so, which is why I gave this one a chance, but by the time the credits rolled it was definitely a case of wishing I had dedicated 2 hours to doing something else. Don't let the trailer fool you, it will deceive you into thinking it's an interesting, exciting, smart, sexy story when it's a collection of groan-inducing, contrived clichés, "set against a backdrop of an industrial fire". Did I miss something deeply symbolic with the fire or is it really just completely pointless?

The acting itself is good (and nice to see Andie MacDowell again, where has she been hiding all this time?) but good acting can't save a story that sucks. Its one redeeming feature is the soundtrack, which is great.

Kat Dennings's stunning performance just blew me away as a city girl who ends up in a strange small town for a year when "everything happened". She's funny and wry, and the next thing you know she breaks your heart. There's a lovely balance in this movie of humor and lyricism and incredible tension, and Dennings is just one of a number of unforgettable characters. Josh Lucas sneaks up on you with another original performance -- he's charming and despicable and hilarious. But the real surprise is Reece Thompson, who I'd never seen before, as a high school kid muddling his way through grief and first love. The movie looks amazing and the writing sings.

This is the first time I put one star on the movies that I watched. I'm speechless with this movie. Yeah. Speechless with so many confused in my head. BLOODY HELL!!! What the meaning of this movie? With so many Story of... and I think ain't important for this movie. Romantic? Oh no! (I'm just excited when the little boy and girl sleep together with hand in hand it's so sweet. but JUST IT! the others? the main characters? HELL NO!) I hate the goddamn' bitch, slut or whatever she is (I don't care). Comedic? Hm... I wanna cry with this movie. Why? because I don't understand. I wanna cry because why I watched this movie. Very sorry. It's officially not funny. Dramatic? Officially OVER! and Over is always not better. I hate the heroine. I hate hm--I'm not sure who is the hero in this movie. But most of all. I hate this movie. Badly. Thank you.

This is just one more in a long line of boring, filmed-in-BC, movies-with-a-message. Don't believe all the four- and five-star fake reviews from the cast and crew; it is formulaic garbage. Like everything else coming out of BC these days, it uses one has-been actor (Andie MacDowell) and a bunch of 25- and 28-year-olds, playing teenagers. There is not one believable scene in the entire movie, and - like every other "message movie" "stalker movie" or "murderer movie" out of BC - it is 99% talk talk talk.

Examples. Wanna get your actors to appear edgy? Portray them hotboxing in a stranger's dad's van. Wanna see what the term "phoning in your performance" really means? Watch Andie MacDowall, who very obviously did this one only for the money.

Typical CBC/Lifetime boring movie, made by too many actors and crew who spent too much time hotboxing and not enough time writing, directing, filming and acting. If you keep waiting for this movie to get better, trust me; it never does.

It's hard being the new kid in school. Caroline (Dennings) and her father move from a big city to a small town and she is not happy with the move. She starts an affair with her teacher, and meets another boy her age. This is a very hard movie to review. The first half was pretty slow, the second half picked up and the last 20 min was great. I'd compare it to "Donnie Darko", but not nearly as complicated to understand. There is enough in the movie to keep you interested and watching through the slow parts, and after the ending you will be glad you did. Overall this is a good movie, but not great, definitely worth watching though. I give it a B.

Would I watch again? - I don't think I would.

*Also Try - Donnie Darko & Paper Man

As painful as it is awkward, this is one movie I will not be watching again. This title wants so desperately to be something it's not, which is profound. While aiming to be the next American Beauty meets Juno, it plays out like the novel of a smarmy teen who just KNOWS that he's smarter than anyone else and that's why he's unpopular. One saving grace is the performance of Reece Thompson, who handles his performance as a tormented, burned-out druggie deftly. On second thought, Andie MacDowell is also a high note as a relatively flat character but refreshingly sweet and supportive mom. Still, I'd give this movie a pass.

This movie was beautiful and surprisingly dark and potent. Basically a teenage girl, played by the slightly-too-old for the role Kat Dennings, arrives to a small town where kids keep getting killed, an industrial fire won't stop burning, and everyone does too many drugs. As someone who has spent time in some small American towns, I could relate to the feeling. Though obviously the director is playing with the conventions here and adding a layer of menace, melancholy and haze to the proceedings. So Kat's character decides to seduce her high school teacher, played by the under-rated Josh Lucas. They begin an affair and all is well, until he instructs her to pretend to date a boy her age so the local yokels won't become suspicious. Needless to say it's all a lot of fun--albeit dark fun--and things take some wild twists that suspend logic but are all the more enjoyable for it. I wish this movie had gotten the attention is deserves--was it even released?--because it's by far the best work Kat Dennings has done, and it's full of amazing images and sharp dialogue. Be advised: this movie is an art film disguised as a teen movie. It's probably too ambitious for its own good, and I can see why it might be passed over by many. But I think it'll be a cult classic and I was pleasantly surprised by the artistry that went into this little indie flick. Extra points for the powerful ending.

Imagine watching this as a teen! Parents beware. This kaleidoscopic view of what happened that year is for people with short attention spans. A teacher Josh Lucas has sex with student Kat Jennings. She dates fellow student Reece Thompson also as a decoy. Lucas is unstable. Thurston matures as does Jennings. The problem here is lack of main thrust. There's a serial killer. Dead bodies. Air pollution. This film isn't funny. It isn't sad. It is a free writing before the edit. Someone forgot the edit.

This movie is wonderful. I just saw it at the Toronto International Film Festival, and it's great. Written and directed by a young, first time, Canadian director (although you would never guess that) and shot out in a small town in BC. The film is about a teenage girl, Caroline (the beautiful Kat Dennings), who moves to a painfully small town which she hates. There, she observes her fellow high school students get wasted on drugs out of boredom, and people obsess over a serial killer who has yet to be caught. She becomes involved in 2 very different relationships with men, out of boredom, and the rest of the film explores the insecurities that everyone, young and old, experiences in life. It is beautifully shot, with dreamlike cinematography, and has a great balance of both sadness and humour which reflects everyday life.

In a small town where teachers sit in front of apathetic kids in the classroom and teenagers have nothing better to do than find household items that might get them high, "Daydream Nation" sneaks in and takes everything by storm. Caroline (Kat Dennings) is new in town and it's not that she loves to cause strife or turmoil, but she's smarter than her fellow classmates and she's looking to define herself just as any smart, lonely teenager would do. This is the year that everything happens.

With an industrial fire burning, a serial killer on the loose, and Caroline falling in love with her teacher Mr. A (Josh Lucas), the film sets up such a dark, mysterious, chilling atmosphere that you'll be drawn towards this town and these characters and then want to find a safe place to watch from.

Some of these characters will break your heart from the very beginning, Thurston (Reece Thompson) is the quintessential awkward teenager, alone and confused and might be falling in love, and his best friend is gone. His single mother (Andie MacDowell) is in constant fear of keeping her kids safe. The other characters should be able to handle themselves just fine. These are the best written characters I have ever seen in a high school film (and yes, I have seen "Election").

Mr. A is looking for motivation, Thurston is looking for love, and Caroline is just looking for something. This film takes those simple longings and puts them into something that looks and feels like a thriller. Originality is not to be feared. It should not be weird or off-putting; it should be celebrated. "Daydream Nation" is an edge-of-your-seat coming-of-age drama. These teenagers, plus a teacher or two, are just looking for love, acceptance, understanding and a purpose.

For the first time in a long time, I had no idea where a film was taking me. I had no idea what they were trying to tell me, and I had no idea what genre it was supposed to be. But the unrelenting atmosphere, the incredibly well written characters, and the smart dialogue make "Daydream Nation" something you'll want to experience. Another reviewer compared this to "Juno", I was thinking of comparing this to "Heathers", but these filmmakers have their fingers on the pulse of something entirely different. They might play with your heart strings, and your blood pressure, but by the end you will be put back together.