Actors: Brooke Shields, Jason O'Malley, Anthony Franciosa, Joseph Vizzi, Sherilyn Fenn
Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Backstreet Dreams
Dean Costello (O'Malley) and his wife Lucy (Fenn) have a disturbed child named Shane (Vizzi). They take the child to a clinic where he is diagnosed by a dedicated psychologist named Stevie (Shields) as being autistic. After catching Lucy in bed with another man, Dean tells his wife to leave and is suddenly faced with the prospect of raising his son alone. Dean makes his living from backstreet dealings (selling drugs, thug for hire) and wants to get out of that kind of life. So does Angelo (Franciosa), a man who lives in the same building as Dean and is like a father to him. Stevie believes she can help Shane with his condition so she begins coming to Dean's apartment to work with his son on a regular basis. Progress is slow but Stevie refuses to give up. Feelings develop between Dean and Stevie and her love gives him the courage to get away from the bad life he's involved in and head in a more positive direction. The two work together to build a better life for themselves and the boy.
--Patti Illsley, Resident Scholar
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Analysis of Backstreet Dreams
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1980's-1999
Romance/Love/Hugging
Yes
Kind of romance:
- romance (general)
Family, caring for sick?
Yes
Who is sick?
- Son
because he/she is
- mentally ill
Lover is...
- caretaker/doc/nurse
Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Profession/status:
- psychiatrist
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair type
- (woman) long wavey
Body type
- (woman) average
Unclothed?
- Chest
Events of movie makes character more...
- happy
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- (man) short/standard wavey
Body type
- (man) average build
Unclothed?
- chest
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- general circumstances
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- West
City?
Yes
City:
- dirty, grimy (like New York)
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Movie makes you feel...
- encouraged
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- touching of personal anatomy
- seeing breasts
- sex under blankets
Any profanity?
- Some foul language
