I always take notes while reviewing films for HorrorBuzz. While watching Dreaming Hollywood (2021), one of my notes literally reads: “I have no idea what the f*ck is going on and I am okay with it.” This film isn’t my cup of tea, but I’ll be damned if it’s not the best goddamn cup of tea. 

Frank Martinez’s Dreaming Hollywood centers around Ray Balfi, an ex-convict who pivots from selling drugs on the side to pursuing his dreams of writing an award-winning screenplay he names “The Dog’s Meow.” Without warning his screenplay is stolen and produced under a studio owned by the drug cartel he works for. Ray Balfi mentally snaps and begins his rampage for vengeance. 

This film struck me as a cross between Wes Anderson’s stylistic films, film noirs like Double Indemnity, mafia films like Goodfellas, and dry comedies like Hot Rod and Napoleon Dynamite. Martinez’s film is definitely spoofing a few popular subgenres of film, but I’m afraid the only one I’m knowledgeable in is film noir. Which explains the majority of my confusion during the film. There’s an obvious difference between a film confusing the viewer because its plot is flawed, and a film confusing the viewer because this film is not for this viewer. ‘Tis I, the viewer. With that in mind, I do have enough film knowledge to know that Dreaming Hollywood is an excellent film. 

The cinematography by Alexander Zingaro and Adam Brant blew me away. Even when I was at a loss for what was going on, the cinematography kept my eyes glued to the screen. Conversation scenes that are normally stuck in shot-reverse shot purgatory had a new life in this film. The well-known head-on shot in Wes Anderson films is used frequently, which really played to this film’s satirical tone. The cinematography also contributed to the humor in the film. In one scene we’re introduced to Ray Balfi’s love interest, Maureen, by showing her in a bright orange dress dancing around in a downtown area past dumpsters and a dead body. The soundtrack, composed by Zocotroco, also lends as much to the humor as the cinematography does. At some points, the humor is the soundtrack, which was an added bonus to the viewing experience. 

The humor in this film is top tier, but in a niche way. People who’d enjoy this type of dry, dark humor would probably also enjoy Hot Rod, Superbad, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, or The Office. Visual gags are prominent in the film and the humor of them hinges on the viewer’s knowledge of the subgenres being satirized. In fact the entire plot is structured around a bleak satirization of the “Hollywood Dream” – writing that award-winning screenplay that earns you millions and a lifelong career. So audiences whose wheelhouses aren’t necessarily aligned with the above may not be able to appreciate this film’s genius. And that’s okay! This film is just not for them. 

The excellent acting performances in Dreaming Hollywood added so many levels of authenticity to the film. Everyone in this film was amazing and really sold the film’s insane plot. If I had to pick two actors who shined the most, it’d probably be Yilin Wang (Charlotte) and Turk Matthews (Ray Balfi). They slipped into their characters so seamlessly that I found myself forgetting that these are actors in a film and not the characters themselves. The performances of these two really drive the film. 

I’ll definitely be recommending this film to film-lover friends of mine. I think a great triple feature would be Hot Rod, Dreaming Hollywood, and VelociPastor. Three excellent satirical films, ranked in order of how batshit they are. Films that satirize the film industry and hinge on inside jokes for filmmaking folks will always be a watchlist priority in my book. 

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