Dream On! is a film which premiered in 1981 at the Festival International du Nouveau Cinema, Montreal. It was shot in 16mm film from 1975 to 1980, and was blown up to 35mm in 1984. The film's action follows a group of young actors as they struggle to survive in L.A. and hang on to their artistic principles. Ed Harris

Ed Harris

Edward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...

 and Paul "Pee-wee Herman" Reubens

Paul Reubens

Paul Reubens is an American actor, writer, film producer, and comedian, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s and started his career as an improvisational comedian and stage actor...

 have since become well known actors.

Plot summary

No relation to the later cable-TV sitcom of the same name

Dream On (TV series)

Dream On is an American adult-themed situation comedy about single New Yorker, Martin Tupper. The show used a gimmick where old black and white clips were used to punctuate the main character's feelings or thoughts...

, Dream On! is a tale of struggling LA actors seeking out an audience. This talented but impoverished troupe stages a "guerilla theatre" production, wherein each actor takes on a variety of characterizations. Given that the actors include an ex-hooker and a pair of mismatched homosexuals, perhaps the troupe is using their production as a means of escaping the torments of their own lives. Perhaps nothing—that's just what they're doing.

Awards and nominations

• Honorable Mention (Roger Ebert) at the US Film and Video Festival (Sundance Film Festival), 1983
• Silver Award at the Festival of the Americas (Houston), 1983

External links

• New York Times Movie Review