Have Dreams, Will Travel (2007)

Director:

Brad Isaacs

Writer (WGA):

Brad Isaacs (written by)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

You're never too young to have a plan.

Plot:

Set in the 1960's, a magical tale of two 12-year-olds embarking on an adventure to find new, cool parents and escape their neglected, overly adult,existence.

Plot Keywords:

Trauma | Boy Girl Best Friend Romance | Orphan

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Cayden Boyd	...	Ben Reynolds
Lara Flynn Boyle	...	Ben's Mother
Matthew Modine	...	Ben's Father
Noah Grabowski	...	Ben at 2
J.D. Garfield	...	Father in Diner
Johnny Cotugno	...	Plumber (as John Cotugno)
Jeff Griffin	...	Roofer
Candace Campfield	...	Accountant
Mary Evans	...	Cassie's Mother
AnnaSophia Robb	...	Cassie Kennington
Mike Miller	...	Sheriff LeClaire (as Michael Miller)
William Lawrence Allen	...	Cassie's Father
Michael Clark	...	Truck Driver #1
Boots Southerland	...	Truck Driver #2 (as Boots Sutherland)
Val Kilmer	...	Henderson

Also Known As:

A West Texas Children's Story (USA) (new title)
West Texas Lullaby (USA) (new title)

Runtime:

Germany:86 min (European Film Market)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Thunder Bay Pictures

Trivia:

Val Kilmer, who lives on a nearby New Mexico ranch, agreed to participate in this film secondary to his work with New Mexico's Film Investment Program.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ben: [narrating] I'm just a kid, there's a lot I don't know. But one thing I do know, is that my folks should never have married. And they definitely should never had a kid.

A very original film, quirky and a little dark.

"Have Dreams, Will Travel" is a quirky sort of movie, full of little eccentricities and minor faults that make up its personality. Writer/director Brad Isaacs is not overly ambitious, probably quite aware of his limitations as a first-time director. He has structured what amounts to the filmed equivalent of a short story, very economical and specific.

The star of this film is Cayden Boyd, who plays Ben - a kid who tends to disappear into the shadows. His lack of identity seems to be polar opposite to Cassie (AnnaSophia Robb). Ben lives at a diner with his boat-obsessed father and his movie-obsessed mom. One rainy night, there is a terrible car wreck outside the diner, and the only survivor is young Cassie. After she is nursed back to health, Cassie decides that she and Ben would be best off to hit the road and head east.

That's the basic set-up for the film, which is largely a road trip. They meet many interesting characters on the way to Baltimore, one of the most so who is played by Val Kilmer. His role in this film is only slightly more significant than his appearance in "The Missing", but he is quite excellent as a depressed pig farmer. Stephen Root is very good as an interfering sheriff character.

Although somewhat lightweight at the beginning, "Have Dreams, Will Travel" proves itself to be a far deeper (and darker) film than it first appears to be. In fact, it turns out to be not quite the kids you might assume it is. Perhaps that makes it a little schizophrenic, but it works quite well in this case. Overall, this film is individual and original enough to be more than worth the watch. It has a certain quality that feels strange yet heartwarming. Robb and Boyd give their very best performances in two quite difficult roles, and more than make the film what it is.

RATING: 7.5 out of 10