A good needle drop can be the difference between a film skyrocketing to iconic status or falling by the wayside as another forgettable watch. Arguably, a movie like “Say Anything” wouldn’t have been as memorable if John Cusack had held a boombox over his head and played anything other than Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.” Choosing licensed music is an art that requires a lot of flexibility, given the high price of some of the most memorable songs. Netflix’s new animated film, “In Your Dreams,” marks Alex Woo’s directorial debut, telling the story of Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) and her little brother Elliot (Elias Janssen) as they travel into the fantastically ridiculous world of their own dreams to ask the Sandman to make their dream of having a perfect family come true.
Their mother (Cristin Milioti) and father (Simu Liu) are an old musical duo dealing with the marital conflicts that arise from figuring out how to juggle personal passions with what’s best for a family, and “In Your Dreams” aptly expresses this through an original song called “Holding On and Letting Go,” which beautifully showcases their musical talents. It was the perfect sound for one of the film’s most heartfelt moments, and it holds its own on a soundtrack featuring some of the catchiest jams ever written. “KPop Demon Hunters” brings chart-topping gold to Netflix, but “In Your Dreams” features some of the best needle-dropping moments of the year.
In Your Dreams features (almost) all the best songs about dreams
For a film about dreams and the Sandman, “In Your Dreams” is fortunate that some of the most recognizable earworms fit right in at home. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by British new wave duo Eurythmics was featured in trailers leading up to the film, but the coloratura contralto sound of Annie Lennox’s voice was also used to perfection during a montage of Stevie and Elliot continually awakened by nightmares. On the other hand, a lesser-known song like “sleep2dream” by indie artist ggwendolyn is a welcome addition. If you haven’t heard their hit “My Year of Rest and Relaxation”, you’re missing out.
But some of the best musical cues center around the Sandman himself. It would practically be a crime against art not to include Pat Ballard’s quartet hit, “Mister Sandman,” and the song makes its first appearance on an old jukebox as a clever and almost frightening omen. The audience at the premiere burst into laughter when the music started playing, a joke that was lost on some of the younger viewers. However, when we learn that the Sandman isn’t all he says he is and sends his little Sandlings on the offensive, the choice to highlight the moment with “Enter Sandman” elicited full-body laughs from the adults in the crowd. I never thought an all-ages family film would feature Metallica on the soundtrack, but I’m so glad “In Your Dreams” had the courage to go for it. All that’s missing is “Dreams” by the Cranberries.
These are pretty obvious musical choices, but the film not By including them, people would complain about the missed opportunity to showcase the dream jams. (It’s me, I’m the people).
In Your Dreams has a soundtrack littered with millennial classics
I had a bit of an existential crisis in the middle of “In Your Dreams” when I realized that at 35, Elliot and Stevie’s parents were around my age. As such, when Stevie lets loose on “Hey Ya!” by preparing breakfast in the opening scene, this means that it is a child who is being introduced his parents’ favorite musicrather than listening to what is currently popular on the radio. It’s a song that Stevie feels nostalgic for because it reminds him of growing up with his parents, much like how I feel about any song Bon Jovi performs.
The same goes for the Pussycat Dolls’ song “Don’t Cha”, which has since been transformed into a song about hot, cheesy pizza in the Chuck E. Cheese-like arcade that Elliot and Stevie visit. Did you know that pharmaceutical ads intentionally choose music to appeal to demographics that grew up with that music? Companies use a similar tactic to keep parents from going crazy at kid-centric entertainment centers. I’m sorry, my millennial friends, but the songs we used to rock out to at the club are now being used subliminally against us! But I’d be a liar if I said the biggest laugh in the entire movie for me wasn’t hearing the song performed by a children’s choir “It’s a Small World” style during a dream sequence…and I’d be an even bigger liar if I said I didn’t have it stuck in my head during days after seeing the film for the first time.
“In Your Dreams” is now available to stream on Netflix. And I apologize in advance for “Don’t Cha” getting stuck in your head.
