What Dreams May Come
PG-13
Oct 02, 1998
Drama · Nearly two hours that feels longer due to deliberate pacing through heavenly landscapes.
Audience favorite
7.0/10
IMDb
51%
Rotten
44
44/100
Metacritic
🎬
7.2/10
TMDB
The brief
What Dreams May Come is a wildly ambitious afterlife epic that throws visual splendor at every frame while Robin Williams anchors the spiritual heavy lifting with surprising restraint. Director Vincent Ward creates a heaven that looks like a living oil painting and a hell borrowed from Hieronymus Bosch, but the pacing drags under the weight of its own cosmic scope. Williams and Annabella Sciorra sell the central love story even when the script veers into new-age philosophy lectures. Perfect for anyone who loved The Lovely Bones or doesn't mind their romance served with a hefty side of metaphysical world-building.
ethereal afterlife journey
romantic devotion
visually stunning
metaphysical drama
painterly surrealism
spiritual heavy
melancholic beauty
The verdict
If you love visually stunning fantasy epics and don't mind slow-paced spiritual storytelling, this is a breathtaking exploration of love and the afterlife anchored by Robin Williams' heartfelt performance. If you prefer grounded dramas or get impatient with new-age philosophy, skip this for something more earthbound.
Watch with
- 👫 Perfect for couples who love deep romantic dramas
- 👤 Solo viewing for spiritual contemplation
- ⚠️ Avoid with those sensitive to suicide themes
Heads up
- Suicide depicted and central to plot (moderate)
- Death and grief themes throughout (frequent)
- Disturbing hell sequences with demons (moderate)
Credits
- Director
- Vincent Ward
- Cast
- Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., Annabella Sciorra, Josh Paddock, Jessica Brooks Grant, Max von Sydow, Wilma Bonet
Official synopsis
'Chris Nielsen dies to find himself in a heaven more amazing than he could have ever dreamed of. There is one
