Follow That Dream (1962)

Really Surprised!

From my favorite movies..

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Elvis Presley was a hugely influential performer with one of the most distinctive singing voices of anybody. He embarked on a film career consisting of 33 films from 1956 to 1969, films that did well at the box-office but mostly panned critically (especially his later films) and while he was a highly charismatic performer he was never considered a great actor.While not one of the top three Elvis films, those being 'King Creole', 'Flaming Star' and 'Jailhouse Rock', 'Follow That Dream' is one of his better overall films. It's proof that his early films were actually pretty good, but unfortunately it was one of his last good ones when the formula started here wore increasingly thin and further suffered from looking less appealing and even the quality of the soundtracks and Elvis' acting wavering significantly.'Follow That Dream' is not perfect. The dialogue is idiotic at times, then again the script was not a strength in a vast majority of Elvis' films, even in some of his better ones. The songs are terrific (especially the hauntingly beautiful title song), but there were too few of them in the film and Gordon Douglas judging from the indifferent at best way they were staged didn't seem to know what to do with them. Despite Elvis singing it beautifully, the title song is cheapened somewhat by the sloppy lip-synching, which showed the one time in the film Elvis was not comfortable or enthusiastic.However, 'Follow That Dream' benefits from colourful locations and beautiful photography. While one wishes there were more, the songs are terrific, while there are several very funny and movingly romantic moments. The story is formulaic, but still very easy to like and energetic.Douglas generally does an assured job directing, faltering only in the musical numbers, while the cast are a high point. Elvis' gently good-natured and laid-back performance is one of his better ones, and he is very well supported by a coolly graceful Arthur O'Connell, charming Joanna Moore and adorable Ann Helm. The chemistry is similarly great.In summary, good Elvis film and one of the last ones properly worth watching. 7/10 Bethany Cox

This movie is in my top ten of all time. It is a pure romp! Even though you have the "bad guys" from the government to add some drama, and the fact that Elvis character "Toby" and his family are all government freeloaders, this is essentially just a feel good movie.You can read the plot from the other reviews, but it is essentially about homesteaders coming to Florida with a composite "family" and trying to make their way. This is Elvis at his best--as he was meant to be in movies--singing and romancing his way through, with a back woods innocence that Max Baer would later use as Jethro Bodine on "The Beverly Hillbillies".Enjoy this film. It is a delight!

Although I had long been aware of this particular film from seeing a poster of it in one of my father's film books as a child, it was only when I heard it being described as a "black comedy" here that I truly became intrigued...This often very funny satire (adapted to the screen by Charles Lederer – who worked most often with director Howard Hawks!) was surprisingly and somewhat uneasily turned into a star vehicle for Elvis Presley. He's a simple-minded country-boy (not that he was ever the kind of guy to truly convey intelligence) who, along with dad Arthur O'Connell and a slew of adopted siblings, gets caught in the middle of a 'diplomatic' incident over ownership of a newly-inaugurated strip of land.The family sets up house there and even starts to profit by charging the public for fishing on their property. Meanwhile, government and (again) social welfare officials try to have them evicted – but mobsters Simon Oakland and Jack Kruschen, traveling in a sort of mobile gambling-house, also make a stop at the location and which they subsequently find a convenient safe haven from the law. The two, therefore, decide to buy off the land from the hick family but will have just as little luck doing so!The songs this time around feel like an afterthought, merely serving as a prerequisite – and only the title tune sticks out at all. Several gags and scenes are undeniably hilarious, however: the twins' idea of sharing, the over-pressurized "john", Presley's first trip to a bank (which inadvertently turns into a near hold-up), the equally 'innocent' disarming of Oakland and Kruschen's thugs – specially brought in from Detroit (and culminating in the destruction of their casino), etc. The film is capped by a moralistic, but ultimately stirring, Capra-esque courtroom sequence.The supporting cast is well-served by the character actors – with the stuffy government official, the friendly bank manager and the benevolent judge all scoring nicely. Unfortunately, despite a good showing here, Joanne Moore's career (playing the social worker who seduces Elvis) would soon be overshadowed by that of her husband and daughter, Ryan and Tatum O'Neal!All in all, this is one of Presley's more entertaining films – but, on a preliminary viewing, the lack of good songs and the general low-key nature rob it of a higher rating (though I wouldn't exclude getting it on DVD in future).

This movie is Elvis Presley at his best. He plays an innocent good old boy who decides to homestead with his family in Florida. The cast includes Arthur O'Connel and Anne Helm and is definitely a superb production. The plot is good, and I would definitely recommend this movie as a family video. My family loves it.Some people may say that Elvis' character is stupid, but a close examination reveals that his character is just too innocent to comprehend the underhanded tactics of the people around him. Elvis' character proves his intelligence in a stirring speech delivered near the end of the movie which Elvis performed brilliantly. This is a great movie that you will want to watch over and over