McGregor and Farrell: Brothers Striving for Their Financial Dreams

If you are given the proposition to commit a crime for easy money, would you do it? Once you step over that threshold there's no turning back. That's what brothers Ian (Ewan McGregor) and Terry (Colin Farrell) face during Cassandra's Dream, the latest Woody Allen film on DVD.

The story focuses on Terry and Ian's relationship as brothers/best friends. Ian is the dreamer who strives for financial success but his business plans always fall apart at the last minute. When his dreams fail, Ian turns his disappointment into family obligation by helping his father run his failing restaurant. Terry, on the other hand, uses his destructive gambling problem to make ends meet for him. When things get too difficult, Terry turns to his other vices of pills and alcohol.

Despite different personalities, they both have the same goal to make money and cut as many corners as possible to reach the finish line. This method always gets both brothers in trouble. Terry has a massive gambling debt and Ian wants to impress an aspiring actress (Hayley Atwell) that he's in love with. Instead of getting better jobs, Ian and Terry turn to their Uncle Howard for financial support like they've both done in the past. Howard offers them the surprising proposition to help him get rid of a problem that might land him some jail time. Terry and Ian are both shocked by Howard's idea and think he's crazy. When enough time passes, Howard's idea gets more and more appealing to them. Termptation leads them to doing the most unimaginable act of family loyalty and desperation.

After the crime is complete, both brothers act oblivious to the gravity of their joint mistake and plan their futures with their loved ones. Each brother gets destroyed by their personal vices piece by piece. Ian's damage is not as noticeable as Terry's suffering though. Terry's guilt eats him up inside while Ian's lack of remorse is troubling because his desire to keep his secret could destroy everything. Does Ian manager to carry out his next sinister plan? Can Terry stay sane long enough to keep suspicion at bay? Without giving away too much, the ending left a few loose ends that aren't so neatly tied up.

Farrell and McGregor are actors with rather distinct character types. Farrell often plays the tough guy with a heart and McGregor gets typecast as the romantic intellectual. For Dream, those character types get thrown into a blender and distorted. Farrell's bad boy character uses his vices as a foreshadowing to indicate trouble lies ahead for him. His appearance is always a disheveled mess which showcase Terry's impending breakdown. McGregor takes his portrayal of Ian on a more calculating journey. His eyes grow cold every time someone stomps on his dream and he'll go to any lengths to make it happen. McGregor allows Ian's problems to remain just below the surface and let's his feelings erupt when the time is right. The audience can smell his desperation as he tries to keep Farrell quiet.

The film's weakest acting link is Tom Wilkinson because his presence is felt more than seen. The audience has no idea why the brothers should help Uncle Howard out. He only seems to be interested in staying out of trouble and not worried about the consequences for his nephews. Another weak link is the slow pace of the story because it took about nearly half of the movie for the crime to occur. Farrell and McGregor spend a fair share of the film talking about their plan before actually doing it. The movie is considered to be a thriller, but there are no thrills to be had when everyone is talking too much. Allen's effort to explore this story should be applauded, but not rewarded.

In the end, Dream offers a testament to family loyalty versus your innate need for financial stability. Allen's theme for the movie is that every action has a consequence. Once the decision is made, there's no going back to normal. That's ultimately the crux of most of Allen's films from Match Point to Crimes and Misdemeanors. The subject matter varies depending on the story itself, but the theme is the same. Allen's films are meant to suggest that it's best to think before you take a risk. Think about what you're willing to sacrifice before making a decision. A fraction of a second is the key to not being cavalier about life's difficult tasks.

Farrell and McGregor both paid the price for following their greedy needs instead of their heads. The audience paid another price for renting a movie that delivers no reward, except to stare at the leads for two hours. Finally, some fun can be had from this cinematic mess. Better luck with this fall's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Woody.