Review of Dream House (2011) by Mulu H — 05 Mar 2012

Dream House is a limp, ineffective thriller that has a great cast and...well, really nothing else.

I was well aware of how poorly Dream House had been received by critics and most audiences, but I was convinced I should see it, regardless. I'd yet to encounter a movie that Naomi Watts didn't make at least somewhat worthwhile for me. Until now.

There's a fine line between an interesting story and a ridiculous one, and this movie spends way too much time on the wrong of it. It's advertised as a ghost story, and it is (a very poor) one in a way, but it's also something of a (terrible) murder mystery and a (mess of a) psychological thriller. It reminded me of Shutter Island in some ways, but not in quality or coherence. Dream House is just so ridiculous and ill-conceived that I could barely make it through it.

The best cast in the world can't save a true dud, and this is just more proof of that fact. Even the biggest fans of Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz or Daniel Craig should do themselves a favor and skip Dream House. They're all wasted, as would almost surely be your time.