The stars align for a couple of middle-aged musical "never-weres" when their lost, dust-covered album is rediscovered 30-odd years after its failed release. A rare and thrilling opportunity for redemption is ignited alongside a bittersweet undercurrent, as buried emotions of guilt and shame boil up to the surface, opening up old wounds.
Written and directed by Bill Pohlad and based on a New York Times article by Steven Kurutz, Dreamin' Wild tells the true-life tale of musician brothers Donnie (Noah Jupe in his youth and Casey Affleck in adulthood) and Joe Emerson (Jack Dylan Grazer as young Joe and Walton Goggins as adult Joe), who, as teenagers, independently recorded an eclectic, genre-blending album at their Washington family farm in 1979. The record, Dreamin' Wild, flopped and they seemingly disappeared without a trace.
Three decades later, fate steps in and the long-forgotten LP is miraculously dug up by an antiques-rummaging vinyl collector in Montana, with word spreading quickly to a well-intentioned indie label executive, Matt Sullivan (Chris Messina).
Calling the album "a lost masterpiece" and passionately wanting to re-release it for a new generation, Sullivan wastes no time. He locates the Emersons after a rather exhaustive search and offers them the surprising news back at their family farm, which is still run by their unwaveringly supportive and self-sacrificing father (Beau Bridges) and the older of the two Emerson brothers, gentle and generous Joe.
A contract is signed, and the touching story of broken dreams and second chances, handled with quiet tenderness by Pohlad, begins to peel back in poignant layers.
Before putting pen to paper, Donnie, a serious soul who manages a profitless recording studio with his merrier wife and small-gig bandmate Nancy (a sadly underused Zooey Deschanel), is hesitant and uncomfortable. The reasons behind Donnie's trepidation are steadily revealed to us through a past and present interchange — with the aid of Affleck's raw acting chops and crafty camerawork, Donnie's turmoil is palpable.
Dreamin' Wild is a thoughtful portrait not only of music and artistry, but also love and redemption, mending and acceptance, and how even the strongest of familial relationships can become entangled in the pangs of remorse and self-blame.
The melodramatics and flashy performance sequences of a typical musical biopic aren't found here. Rather, Dreamin' Wild offers audiences a rhythm that is smooth, sweet and honest (not unlike the album itself), with lovely performances from its cast and the pleasant, lyrical breeziness of "Ooh baby, yes oh baby" wafting in and out. "Yes oh baby, yes oh baby…"
(levelFILM)Written and directed by Bill Pohlad and based on a New York Times article by Steven Kurutz, Dreamin' Wild tells the true-life tale of musician brothers Donnie (Noah Jupe in his youth and Casey Affleck in adulthood) and Joe Emerson (Jack Dylan Grazer as young Joe and Walton Goggins as adult Joe), who, as teenagers, independently recorded an eclectic, genre-blending album at their Washington family farm in 1979. The record, Dreamin' Wild, flopped and they seemingly disappeared without a trace.
Three decades later, fate steps in and the long-forgotten LP is miraculously dug up by an antiques-rummaging vinyl collector in Montana, with word spreading quickly to a well-intentioned indie label executive, Matt Sullivan (Chris Messina).
Calling the album "a lost masterpiece" and passionately wanting to re-release it for a new generation, Sullivan wastes no time. He locates the Emersons after a rather exhaustive search and offers them the surprising news back at their family farm, which is still run by their unwaveringly supportive and self-sacrificing father (Beau Bridges) and the older of the two Emerson brothers, gentle and generous Joe.
A contract is signed, and the touching story of broken dreams and second chances, handled with quiet tenderness by Pohlad, begins to peel back in poignant layers.
Before putting pen to paper, Donnie, a serious soul who manages a profitless recording studio with his merrier wife and small-gig bandmate Nancy (a sadly underused Zooey Deschanel), is hesitant and uncomfortable. The reasons behind Donnie's trepidation are steadily revealed to us through a past and present interchange — with the aid of Affleck's raw acting chops and crafty camerawork, Donnie's turmoil is palpable.
Dreamin' Wild is a thoughtful portrait not only of music and artistry, but also love and redemption, mending and acceptance, and how even the strongest of familial relationships can become entangled in the pangs of remorse and self-blame.
The melodramatics and flashy performance sequences of a typical musical biopic aren't found here. Rather, Dreamin' Wild offers audiences a rhythm that is smooth, sweet and honest (not unlike the album itself), with lovely performances from its cast and the pleasant, lyrical breeziness of "Ooh baby, yes oh baby" wafting in and out. "Yes oh baby, yes oh baby…"
