It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Dream Lover is not a high body count, stab at the air with a knife movie, so back off if that's what you're expecting. This film is 100 percent psychological horror. This is gaslighting at its best. James Spader plays Ray, a very successful business man who has just gone through a very painful divorce. From there, he meets Lena, and at first, she seems like everything that he has every dreamed of. They begin to have a family together, and then everything starts to come apart at the seams. Slowly. When i say slowly, you must have patience with this movie. It very slowly, unveils Lenas ultimate plan, a secret plan that will turn Rays life for the worst. Her plan goes undetected at first, and by the time he realizes what is really going on, it is much too late...and he can't go back. If you think that this is a boring movie, rest assured, it is NOT! The film is very strategic, very cunning, and very clever with the dialouge, the acting, and the script altogether. Dream Lover is obviously not a movie for everyone, but those that who will dig it, I must warn you....this one is going for your head, and it is going to stay there. You will be wary of women for the rest of your life. Just be assured, they are not all bad. I know. I married one.

James Spader has always been a rather interesting actor, and often he has played slightly creepy characters. I didn't think he was the creepy one here...although eventually he becomes just as creepy as his wife. Nevertheless, he is a fascinating actor to watch.The problem with this film is the ending. He is in a nut house and especially upset because he has lost (temporarily) his kids and home. And so, instead of playing it safe (since he is not really crazy), he does the one thing that will keep him there, never to regain his children and home.Mädchen Amick is effective here as the mysterious wife...although (and here's another problem) we never quite learn why she is what she is; I was not at all familiar with her as an actress. Larry Miller...well, I never understood him as an actor...and still don't.This is the type of film I often like -- a suspense thriller. I'm sorry I wasted 103 minutes on this...other than to watch Spader.

Ray marries Lena on the rebound after his divorce. Idyllic family life starts to take on some worrying aspects - are Ray's worries about Lena really justified? - leading to.... no, no spoilers here.This is a paranoia thriller, and very well done. Your sympathies lie with Ray, but you are never quite sure whether you've backed a winner until the reveal. But the reveal is not the best bit Hang in there, because there is a payoff which is worth the admission money on its own.This little known and undervalued film, starring James Spader in an early role with Madchen Amick is a hidden gem. Recommended.

For you classical movie fans and fans of the Fifties music scene, this film Dream Lover will not contain a note of either Jeanette MacDonald's first film hit song from The Love Parade or will you hear Bobby Darin's hit from the Fifties, both entitled Dream Lover. Neither song while different in style is positive in nature and wouldn't be right in this very downer of a thriller.James Spader can't believe his luck in finding Madchen Amick, she's the perfect beautiful woman. He must feel like Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell Smith when they created Kelly LeBrock in Weird Science. This woman is an eleven plus and after a divorce from Bess Armstrong, Spader's in need of reassurance that he's still got it.They marry and have children, but gradually he starts noticing little things that she always has a perfect explanation, but rattle Spader beyond the point of endurance. When he starts investigating his wife, Spader finds a lot of things just don't add up.Dream Lover is a neat little thriller that will keep you guessing right to the end who is going to come out on top. In fact neither of them really do, or at least that's how I view the film.Spader, Amick and the rest of the cast respond well to writer/director Nicholas Kazan's script and guidance. When Spader starts investigating the past of his wife and finds she's just a down home girl from Texas instead of what she puts out, he meets up with William Shockley her old boy friend. His one scene in the film with Spader will leave an indelible impression.In fact Dream Lover will leave an indelible impression on you.