Depending on how you spin it, “Dream House” can either be the most underwhelming movie audiences will see this year or a top contender for the worst.
If they don’t watch the trailer beforehand, viewers will see a sluggish and predictable thriller salvaged by emotional performances.
But if they do, they’ll see actors trying to rescue a story whose climactic twist is not just predictable, but previously advertised as the movie’s premise.
Subsequently, there is either a boring story or an infuriatingly awful lack of a story. For charity’s sake, let’s ignore the advertising mistake and assume the former.
Soon after publishing exec Will Atenton (Daniel Craig) moves into a new home with his wife (Rachel Weisz) and children, he learns of a man named Peter Ward who murdered his own family in that very house years ago.
After hearing of Peter’s hospital release, Will sets out to find Peter before he strikes again. From its beginning to the middle of its second act, the film offers excruciatingly obvious hints about its impending twist. They are in fact so obvious that viewers can’t help but expect something entirely different up director Jim Sheridan’s sleeve.
However, as both a merit and flaw to his film, Sheridan merely keeps his promise.
What makes this particularly frustrating is that the story can’t gain momentum until the “shocking” truth is revealed.
It presents itself like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat very, very slowly. Instead of rewarding viewers for their patience by putting a spin on the trick, the magician exclaims “Integrity!” as the curtains close.
