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Dreamin' Wild

The 100 Most Anticipated Movies of 2022

Dreamin' Wild

2022

Bill Pohlad

Casey Affleck, Noah Jupe, Zooey Deschanel, Chris Messina ...

6.3

Drama Musical duo Donnie and Joe Emerson spend everything they have to produce a record in the 1970s.

	Media	Author	Review
		Lee Marshall Screendaily	"The film’s meander through this touching true-life story has a quiet charm (...)There’s so much dramatic material to work with here, and a solid cast to deliver it – one dominated by Casey Affleck’s intense take"
		Phil de Semlyen Time Out	"A folky music-filled indie that’s full of hope and a soul-enriching sense of revival (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Marshall Shaffer The Playlist	"Pohlad’s film is a harmonious composition that blends an impressionistic style with humanistic storytelling. [It] amounts to more than just a rejoinder to stale music biopic conventions"
		Tomris Laffly The Wrap	"Gentle but weary musical biopic (...) it can’t find its rhythm despite an intriguing true story"
		Leila Latif IndieWire	"There is a gentle loveliness to Pohlad’s filmmaking, everything from sun-swept Eastern Washington State vistas to teenage parties to live performances, but the heartwarming gradually overheat (...) Fantastic acting"
		Kyle Smith The Wall Street Journal	"'Dreamin' Wild' suffers from the occasional corny moment, and some of the dialogue is too direct, tending to spell out what ought to be implied. But Mr. Affleck easily holds the film together with another captivating performance"
		Marya E. Gates rogerebert.com	"Pohlad’s film has a beguiling, oneiric quality. It is a rich and evocative portrait of the weight of broken dreams and the strength one can find in a family as unwaveringly supportive as the Emersons (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		Richard Roeper Chicago Sun-Times	"Casey Affleck does strong work as Donnie Emerson (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		Alex Harrison Screen Rant	"[It] can’t live up to its own expectations (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 5)"
		Leslie Felperin The Hollywood Reporter	"A story of musical ambition that hits a lot of the right notes"
		Stephanie Bunbury Deadline	"It is easy to see why indie director Bill Pohlad would read that story and want to turn it into a film. Pohlad spent years getting to know and evidently love the Emersons"
		Dan Mecca The Film Stage	"When all is said and done, 'Dreamin' Wild' is a kind film about kindness. While comforting in some respects, it lacks a certain amount of punch"
		Robert Abele Los Angeles Times	"A well-cast, modestly affecting drama"
		Brad Wheeler The Globe and Mail	"Is it enough for a feature-length film? Probably not, which is why writer-director Pohlad piled on the melodrama and leaned into clichés"
		Wes Greene Slant	"The elegantly underplayed performances ensure that the film never succumbs to melodrama (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		Rex Reed The New York Observer	"A lot of talented people give it their all, in a film that is both thoughtful and rewarding. I liked it a lot (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"
		Claire Shaffer The New York Times	"A thoughtful meditation on music, creativity and what it really means for talent to be 'overlooked'"
		Guy Lodge Variety	"'Dreamin' Wild' is sufficiently sincere and embedded in musical nerdery to make it work"
		Johnny Loftus Decider	A drama that forgoes the usual music biopic story arc for a story more sensitive to the afterimages that last in our minds, sometimes for decades after the music has stopped

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