The 1989 film ‘The Dream Team’ is directed by Howard Zieff. The film had starred Michael Keaton, Christopher Lloyd, Peter Boyle and Stephen Furst as a bunch of mad caps in an insane asylum who break out and spend a crazy day in the Big Apple.
Plot Summary
The story talks about four inmates from a mental hospital:
Billy (Michael Keaton): he is a sweet boy and everyone would love him.
Henry (Christopher Lloyd): He is a smart man caught in a warped mind.
Albert (Peter Boyle): he is an old person who is convinced that he played baseball at a professional level.
Darryl (Stephen Furst): He is a giant but very gentle and sociable kid.
The occupational therapist however takes them for a baseball game which they both enjoy and look forward to. The fans get carried away and the group is inadvertently left without a guide to the city. Just like that, they start their aimless wandering across the nation only in its thousand years old version. Such adventures include, but are not so easily limited to, fun misbehaving in places in the city that include Bleecker St. Throughout their journey, the group experiences numerous roller coaster rides, all while dealing with their issues, which helps them grow into better individuals.
Themes
A number of issues are raised in the film to include:
Friendship and Camaraderie: The relationship between the main characters, formed as they bear up for each other.
Self-Discovery: Each of the characters’s evolves in their own way and comes out of them and peeps out of the window.
Challenger Stereotypes: Humor and domesticity combats the stigma of mental illness as propagated by the film.
Reception
Unlike a typical Mike Figgis film, The Dream Team has not fared well with critics although it has found itself with a loyal following with time. It has received positive reviews for the comedy, acting especially Keaton and the emotional aspects of the film.