User Reviews

"Arizona Dream" is a real UFO but the kind of UFO we want to be taken to whatever universe it would lead us to. That's pure cinematic escapism, in fact, pure cinema.

"Arizona Dream" is strange and that might be the only objective point for critics and praises to converge to. And I've got to speak for myself, the film is so hypnotic and enchanting that I can't imagine how it can ever be criticized, so this is a positive review, yes, because Hollywood is so dry on experiences like "Arizona Dream" that such movies deserve admiration.

What's the story about? It's a tale about fishes, or one fish actually, a fish and a young man named Axel (Johnny Depp) who has strange dreams involving Eskimos and again, fishes ... I could go on and on, but the point is that all the plots and subplots I will enumerate will sound disjointed while they're so connected to the whole reverie that there's a weird feeling of coherency. The film transports us from one state to another (any meaning of state) without finding us questioning the reason. It doesn't make sense yet it does in the sense that it absorbs all your senses, like a real dream would do actually.

And it doesn't come as a surprise that it's Emir Kusturica, perhaps the European heir of Fellini, who could translate a dream-like vision into a quite-easy-to-follow movie. Any other director would have added some black and white photography, some hallucinatory moments, some non-sequitur elements to better highlight the pointlessness of a plot. Kusturica's directing is not only confident about our attention but attentive about our degree of involvement. It knows when it needs to focus on something tangible and meaningful, and it knows when to throw all the conventions out and float above them, when to act and when to improvise. Even dreams can be codified, even reality needs to loosen up.

Again, what's the film about? Well, this is a film about relationships, some dramatic as the song says, it's about encounters that suddenly gives a total meaning to someone's life or seals the fates of others. Axel's uncle (Jerry Lewis) feels guilty for the loss of his nephew's parents and want him to work for him in his Cadillac-selling business, Elaine (Faye Dunaway) is a woman who dreams of flying, Paul (Vincent Gallo) wants to be an actor, Elaine's daughter Grace (Lily Taylor) a turtle. Realistic or crazy, we're all defined by a quest, a secret will. And these quests always find a root in the past or some dream, whether the past defines the dream or the dream shapes the future might paint the essence of the present.

I don't think it goes further than that, trying to find other meanings would mean entrapping this film in a rational box while there is more to enjoy besides depth. Like a Kusturica movie, this film has a lot of music going on, a lot of accordion, a lot of dancing and loving, of passion and pathos, even jealousy and envy are powerfully conveyed by the performance of the two peripheral characters played by Taylor and Gallo, while Depp and Dunaway can abandon themselves in an ocean of lust and fully enjoy their romance until they learn to deal with the consequences. How weird that you could feel the word "deep" in Depp and Faye Dunaway almost rhymes with "fly" and "runaway".

And as a leitmotif, we have this flying fish caught earlier by an Eskimo who belongs to either a dream or a reality, to say that it makes the connection between the opening scene and the rest of the film or the rest of the film with the ending scene is beside the point, if there's any, yet, there's a feeling of completeness, the idea that sometimes, we all have a vision of what we should do and what shall become of us. If the Eskimo metaphor is right, so maybe whatever the protagonists wish to happen to them after they die, will indeed happen... because maybe that's what Heaven is about.

Why would Uncle Leo be so sure he'd meet Axel's parent if he died? It doesn't really matter because at that moment, we've embraced the film's magic and we believe he does. Later, Axel says to Grace that he used to love her mother but then she became a cloud he could see through and realized he loved her. Axel is crazy in the way he sticks to his vision but so does everyone. In another scene meant for laughs, Paul impersonates Cary Grant in the famous plane scene of "North by Northwest", from our perspective, with the images of the original film, it's a masterstroke of impersonation, for the audience, his motionlessness is ridiculous. Does it matter again? No. Paul believes in his talent. And Kusturica opens our eyes about it.

And that might be the 'point' after all. The most remembered part from the film is the flying sequence and the unforgettable "Death Car" song from Iggy Pop and Goran Bergovic, the score contains many more haunting musical gems saying in musical language that heaven isn't in our visions, but in their fulfillments. That might be what film-making is about, it starts with a vision and the rest is just poetry in motion. Kusturica is aware than he's privileged for making such movies, which would be impossible today.

But he had this luck to come at Hollywood at the right time, the right moment, to have Johnny Depp before he became a supreme movie star, Faye Dunaway who was always "in" for ambitious projects ("Mommie Dearest" was a blessing in disguise as it allowed her to work in weird but fascinating movies like this or "Barfly") and Lewis, Gallo, Taylor complete the gallery of eccentric but appealing protagonists, I mentioned Fellini but there's something weirdly Hustonian in that bunch of dreaming misfits.

And something unique about Kusturica, as usual...

Having seen this movie, I felt rather strange. This bubbly feeling in my gut kept me up in the night. I felt I had to do something for this film, confess my love in a letter, send it flowers, buy it Champagne. It left me gasping. I wanted more. So the rest of the night I watched the special features on the DVD.

I realise that it is sad to have emotions about a film that would usually be reserved for living beings, however I am completely unashamed. If this movie was a man, I'd do unspeakable things to it. I don't care what it's "about". I don't give a monkey's about any "plot" that it may or may not have. I have not searched for anything that everybody conditioned to Hollywood films, however good or bad they may be, inevitably searches for in a film. Why do you need to be spoonfed? Can you not just completely let go and enjoy a work of art for its mere beauty?

Sorry, journeying into pretentious land.

This is undoubtedly my absolute favourite Johnny Depp film, it used to be a toss up between Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Dead Man, but I admit that this surpasses them by a fraction. I'd actually like to say that I preferred Dead Man, but I, um, didn't. Sorry. I feel I have cheated on Dead Man.

There are certain scenes in Arizona Dream that show things about Johnny Depp as a performer that I never would have suspected. In this film he stepped into a realm shared by characters in the films of Fellini and Brunuel. It pleases me that he can do art house as fantastically as this and do mainstream as well, although I do not entirely approve of the stuff that is too mainstream (I.E. Pirates).

His character is beautifully complex, he is a kook, but a sexy kook, and he is everything else besides. The other performances are also wonderful. Gallo is a nutcase, Taylor needs therapy, Dunaway is at the same time tyrannical and naive. Sure the characters contradict themselves, but don't we? It just keeps it all the more desirable and fascinating.

For anybody who appreciates surrealist art, this is a must see. For anybody who appreciates Johnny Depp, there is no question that this film is absolutely essential.

This is the film of Kusturica that I like less, and still it tells what a fine film maker he is.

Pay attention to the year it was made. 1993 was a year of war in the series of wars that lead to the disappearance of former Yugoslavia. With his country split in pieces that were fighting one another Kusturica traveled to the US, took with him his team of musicians, the genial Bregovic, and tried to do an American film. What resulted is a more a Kusturica film than an American one, despite of the American team of actors and of the landscape where the story happens.

Yet, it is not one of his best. Emir did not really resonate with the American reality. There are many beautiful scenes in this film, from the flying fish to the emergency medical car taking off to the sky with a dead soul inside. The film also enjoys superb acting from Johnny Depp, painfully young and handsome at his first major role after Edward Scissorhands, Faye Dunaway mature and yet so beautiful, and Jerry Lewis probably in his last great role. The problem is that the story is much too thin for a 140 minutes film, and that many of the tricks that work so well in Kustirica's Balkan movies do not pay off too well here. The film is simply too long, the story is not interesting enough, and despite the many beautiful moments the film leaves the impression it is too long and boring at some instances.

Soon after making this film Emir Kusturica return to his tragic and torn up country to make one of his masterpieces, 'Underground' a reflection on the whole history of Yugoslavia in the last half of century. 'Life is a Miracle' was to follow a few years later. There are film makers like Polanski whose move to the West succeeded and they became as big or bigger creators there as they were in their native countries. Some other are destined to make their great movies only in their local ambiance and relating to the stories and history they know too well. Kusturica may be one of these, which does not make him a lesser creator, quite the opposite.

Axel is happy with his life in New York, having long since left what remains of his family behind him in Arizona. When his Uncle Leo is getting married, Axel is forced back home by his friend Paul. He finds his Uncle marrying a much younger woman and, while he wishes to leave as soon as he arrives, he finds himself staying around and selling cars with his Uncle – a job he maintains he has to desire to do. It is on the lot that he meets the dysfunctional mother and stepdaughter Elaine and Grace, the former of which he falls for and begins a relationship that evolves into an obsession with building a flying machine. Meanwhile, in stark contrast to his current desert setting, Axel's dreams continue to centre on an Inuit family and a flat fish with its face all on one side.

Well over a decade ago now I used to make much more of an effort to get to my local cinema. At that time I lived near an independent art-house style cinema that, while it showed all the big releases on its two screens, it did also give over time to smaller independent films. It was here that I saw Arizona Dream – a film that I then never saw or heard of for another ten or so years until for some reason I remembered it and decided to watch it again. I couldn't remember much about it apart from a few scenes, nor if I had liked it or not so to all intents and purposes I was coming to it fresh. I say this but by the end of the film I had certainly remembered why I could recall specific scenes and my enjoyment of them but had no strong memory of the total film – the reason being that the film is at its best in small chunks but fails to work as a whole.

The story is this wonderfully off-the-wall tale of love and dreams that fires out outrageous characters with abandon, allowing for many memorable scenes and quotable lines. It is comic, creative, silly and enjoyable. But it is also a bit tiring. The scenes don't come together as I would have liked and the general air of silliness undermines how much I was able to get emotionally involved and care about where the story was going. That it is almost two and a half hours long only serves to highlight this and it really does feel indulgent and unwilling to give anything up. The fault for this certainly lies with Kusturica as writer and director. He certainly has a creative flair to him, an ear for dialogue and an eye for a shot but his approach fragments the film and he doesn't manage to pull the heart of the viewer along with him. He does get good turns from his cast well, all of whom trusted him and seemed to go wherever he wanted them to go. Depp is wonderful as always, so willing to go with it, so willing to try anything and it pays off by him being good here. Lewis was a surprise to me then and was again on this viewing, he is solid in his character and he has this great presence that holds the attention. Gallo is also good although he is helped by how many of the better scenes he is the focal point in. Dunaway and Taylor both deliver their characters well and it is just a shame that their characters are the more "difficult" ones to like within the film – I think they did well though, I just acknowledge that I struggled with them due to their characters.

As with all cult films there will be those that see great beauty in this film and love it beyond all reason. I salute them and I envy them to a point and, while I disagree with them, this does not make them wrong and me right. However to the majority of casual viewers this film will come over as a total curio piece that provides delight and enjoyment in specific scenes but doesn't work as a total film and certainly doesn't have enough to it to justify the overlong running time.

I really like the unique chaotic feel kusturica has in his films. the super inappropriately loud music that plays while people are having important conversations are hilarious. amazing acting by amazing actors. it also has that dreamy vibe to it that makes every odd thing feel normal.

its about a young new yorker that moves to arizona and falls in love with an older woman.

It's very rare that I see a movie that is truly, in all aspects, perfect.

For example, while The Princess Bride ranks pretty high on my list of movies I'd want to spend the rest of my life watching, I fully realize that the camera angles and special effects of that movie are just plain bad. And while Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas gets a perfect 10 from me, it still completely lacks plot. And so on.

Arizona Dream, however, is different.

The last movie I saw that was truly, in all aspects, perfect was Dog Day Afternoon, a 1975 true story starring Al Pacino and Chris Sarandon. For the longest time, it's been my obsession, my movified bible, everything other movies should aspire to be. And as of today, Dog Day Afternoon finally has competition in my personal top ten: Emir Kusturica's masterpiece very near surpasses Lumet's vision of captivating dialogue, insane details, and dodgy man-groping.

Let's change the subject for a bit. Do you know the scene in Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys, where Bruce Willis is in his cage, and a hamster is running inside a wheel in the corner? Don't say yes, because you don't. It's inaudible. It's impossible to see. But it's there. Kusturica, much like Gilliam, is willing to make his world more detailed than your wildest dreams. His backgrounds are filled with symbolism and surrealism, his dark corners filled with soft puppies. And like Gilliam, he can make you cry with laughter, your only worry in the world being, 'how will I remember all these great quotes in the morning?'

But unlike Gilliam, Kusturica has the power to, barely a scene after the happy happy joy, make you sit there in stunned silence, your number one worry in the world being, 'how will I get my brain to understand the sheer tragedy that is unfolding here?'. Your will find yourself thinking, 'how do I get my mind to comprehend how perfectly this music fits the dialogue?'. Your eyes will follow the camera angles, the expressions of the insanely lovable characters, the many things happening in foreground and background-and you know, you just KNOW, that you will have to watch the movie again, and again, and again.

If you're a fan of movies such as Big Fish and Amélie, movies about people finding happiness and warmth in a world of surreal ambition, Arizona Dream will be your next obsession. But even if you think massive explosions and a grunting Bruce Willis are the only thing that can make a movie worth watching, you will still want to give this movie a chance- for the 'explosions' it causes will far, far surpass anything you've EVER experienced before.

10/10.

I'm guessing that Emir Kusturica probably wanted to flee his native Yugoslavia after what happened there in the early '90s. In this country, he made one of the most surreal movies that I've ever seen: "Arizona Dream". Looking at the container, you may get a little befuddled by the cast - or just as easily take interest in it: Johnny Depp, Jerry Lewis, Faye Dunaway, Lili Taylor and Michael J. Pollard (I lost respect for Vincent Gallo when I learned that he's a Bush supporter, so I didn't include him here).

But the movie's actual plot is what will probably make you feel like your head is swimming. It focuses on young Axel Blackmar (Depp), who moves to Arizona where his uncle Leo Sweetie (Lewis) wants him to take over the family business. But when elderly Elaine Stalker (Dunaway) and her daughter Grace (Taylor) enter Axel's life, nothing will ever be the same.

A previous reviewer posed the question (positively): how to make sense of what is unfolding here? I have to agree. A melange of Inuit hunters, a weak imitation of "North by Northwest" (acted out by Gallo's character), and a super-surreal plot, seems like it would be a comedy. But this movie is serious, and some scenes are rather grim.

Anyway, it's not a great movie, but worth seeing, if only once. I still do wonder what was the meaning of that fish. And if I may say so, Faye Dunaway is still pretty hot.

Some movies only work if we let ourselves carry away by them. They present a surrealistic imagination world that comes from the mind of their creators. They are hard to watch, especially when they mix real characters that live their lives sometimes awaken, or inside one big dream or their own dreams.

Axel Blackmar (Johnny Depp) is a dreamer, and an unusual example of personal choices. His parents died and he went to New York, to work with fish. He could have sold cars with his uncle Leo (Jerry Lewis), but he's there, talking with that monotonous voice about what he does. Maybe it was a simple dream, where an Eskimo catches a fish with two eyes on the same side, and tells his kids to go out with their dog so he and his wife can…And the kid with the dog allow to see an orange balloon that seems to go from Alaska to New York, where Alex sleeps in a truck. "Wake up, Columbus", the words of his mother and Axel's hope to find something in the land already discovered by that man.

Alongside fish flying through the air, we join Axel to be the best man of his uncle's wedding. With his friend Paul Leger (Vincent Gallo), the untiring chats go from movies to philosophies about cakes, pies and bananas. Paul is an actor: "I'm having a great performance on Friday", he says. "It's an audition", Axel says to humiliate him. The truth is that it's not even an audition. This stuff lived by Axel is a story for us, but is a personal rediscovering and rethought of decisions in life for the character. When he sees Elaine (Faye Dunaway) he feels something strong, but doesn't know how to call it. Days later he becomes the lover of a woman decades older than him. Elaine's daughter, Grace (Lili Taylor) is also there, and it doesn't goes long until Axel finds himself in a crossroad between the heart of two women, that as he describes them, are "too similar and big to be in the same world".

David Atkin's story and screenplay comes plagued of phrases that could come out of a lunatic's mouth, but they fit in the film's context and twist your head at maximum. "I've got to climb…It's a long way to the moon"; "I'm gonna live forever until I become a turtle…They have infinite lives", besides scenes of well known movies in crucial moments. And what music (Goran Bregovic)! And what editing (Andrija Zafranovic)! And what cinematography (Vilko Filac)! And what director! Known for his originality, recognized director Emir Kusturica puts his own signature to his movie, collaborating in the story he must have dreamed a little to; giving life to the dream with his flying camera, full of unexpected turns and in love of its surroundings. What he achieves is greater words, although not everybody could understand it, and, for that matter, appreciate it.

And his actors…Jerry Lewis in a total comprehension of his character, and so involved in his work that you wouldn't believe it. So incredibly likable in one of those roles we never give much importance to. Faye Dunaway…Wow! She got to work with some of these actors later, but here, as an old woman in character and, with respect, in person, she maintains that virtue of creating uniqueness, with her laughs, smiles and way of saying things. Lili Taylor was the most interesting character here. The silent daughter that could be crazy but no one can really tell. With imagination and freedom, Taylor makes her character believable and not as overacted as it might be. Vincent Gallo, who I respect mostly as a director and as an actor that does what he wants, the ability he has had to choose his roles is visible here again; as he shines without lights to help him. A wonderful performance his fans shouldn't miss.

But Depp…How can I explain? I've said it a lot, surely, but I will repeat it. He's like a magician, but not with the cards and the hat and the tricks. He is with his face, his looks, his way of talking, his perfection of movement…But it's not really something technical: "in the acting world, Johnny Depp is a magician". I'm sure he still has plenty of that for us, but here is where he let us know first.

In one scene, Vincent Gallo's character Paul, an actor, requests that no one touches his face, because it's important. "Do you think they touch Brando's face? Do you think they touch Pacino's, De Niro's? Do you think they touch Johnny Depp's face? I don't know then, but not know; and if they did before, they shouldn't have.

A gem for fans of surrealism. Kusturica's signatures all throughout the movie are obvious, but in this case somebody should have controlled him to cut a little bit shorter on symbolism and metaphors. Having to keep track on all of them is hard in this case and makes you lose idea what happens halfway through the movie. After a hour and a half I didn't know what was going on and went for my phone. But it was entertaining in a way that I never knew what would happen next. Even if I didn't know what the plot was anymore, it was interesting to find out. The feeling I have for this movie is hard to explain, but I'd put it like this: it would be a great movie if I woke up at 3am dead tired out of my life but couldn't sleep, and this was on cable. I even think that in that situation it would make much more sense then now.

Saw this almost by accident at the age of 16 (it was the only thing on at the small town movie theater I was at, and hell, it had Johnny Depp in it, so why not?), and fell in love with the story, the acting and the directing.

Opened up a whole new world to me, one where movies weren't just "Hollywood spectaculars" or "romantic comedies", and I promise, if nothing else, it'll give you something to think about, and something to discuss. I'm sure its not for everyone, but what movie is?

If you can't feel for at least one of the characters in this movie, you're dead. Seriously. The characters may seem offbeat, but each presents something to the story, an element which is more true to real life than first appears.

An Innuit hunter races his sled home with a fresh-caught halibut. This fish pervades the entire film, in real and imaginary form. Meanwhile, Axel (Johnny Depp) tags fish in New York as a naturalist's gofer.

This is the sort of strange film that made Johnny Depp famous. In fact, it is arguably even ore strange because rather than the weird, dark Gothic world of Tim Burton, it is more of a surreal world where all the pieces may not necessarily even make sense. What does an Innuit have to do with a used Cadillac lot? Not much. How about Papua New Guinea and a new bride? Not much.

Although this movie is apparently not well known today (2015), perhaps it should be. Depp does quite well, Jerry Lewis is expertly cruel, and Vincent Gallo steals the show with a very Quentin Tarantino-esque performance (though predating Tarantino).

The reviews for "Arizona Dream" are mostly incredibly positive...with lots of 9s and 10s. However, this is a film that is self-selecting....and many of the folks who love it have a love for Johnny Depp or love films that are confusing artsy messes. In other words, if you took 50 or 100 random folks and showed it to them, you'd no doubt have lots of 1s and 2s....but the average person isn't the type to watch the movie in the first place.

It is really impossible for me to summarize the plot or explain the film. So much of it is surreal or nonsensical....and understanding the characters, their dreams and their actions is beyond my abilities! I will, however, try. The film starts with a scene about Eskimos...which, really has almost nothing to do with the rest of the story. Suddenly, the scene switches to Johnny Depp and his friend....and the story is about Depp's journey to Arizona for his uncle's wedding...and the two bizarro women Depp meets and with whom he spends most of the rest of the movie. One is an older bizarre woman with a strong sexual appetite, the other is her step-daughter who clearly is VERY mentally ill. Where all this goes....well...I really didn't care. And, throughout it all, Depp's character has a lot of dreams and obsessions that really challenge you to keep watching.

I tried very hard to like this film. After all, Jerry Lewis is in it and he is often fascinating in movies. But the story just goes no where and the characters simply are confusing and annoying....and I felt zero connection to them. Frankly, for me, it was a complete waste of time. Now understand....I have probably seen more artsy films than anyone you'll ever meet and I don't need a story to be conventional. But here, the characters simply are annoying messes and there really wasn't any payoff for me. The story seemed weird just for the sake of being weird.

After watching Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man and Fredrick Thor Fredrickson's Cold Fever I knew that there was going to be a great pairing of acting abilities. This, of course, being that of Johnny Depp and Lili Taylor I was not disappointed. The film, at first, absorbs the viewer into a translucent though engaging tale of exploration into the mind and soul. This makes the viewer belive momentarily that the film that they are watching is going to be fanciful and mystic. Hence there at first is no bond between the characters and the Viewer. However, reality becomes less and less of a point or actuality in the film as it paces through the lives of the characters centering on Johnny Depp's charecter. An ifinitity is subconsiously drawn with him as we watch. Faye Dunnaway, who, at first, seemed utterly mis-cast is brilliant, her potrayal of the pre-menopausal cradle-snatcher is brilliant. Jerry Lewis also makes the film great as gritty realism exists in wealth. It feels like there is a piece of everyone in it, there is depression, love, life and death and the exploration of time. Although the film seems like a dream on celluloid it also makes the viewer understand and more importantly empathise with the charecters and at the end the sadness is alleviated by the theme of life, that life goes on, almost in circles. To anyone who has not yet been seriously touched by a film, watch this. It might change you're mind. 10/10 p.s. Watch for the balloon scene at the beginning!

If this movie were my dream, I would say that it is absolutely crazy and I wouldn't want to dream this again. Seems like this movie has a lot of story lines and I would like to say that too much. One moment I'm trying to understand one scene, but it's quite difficult because there are more than one story lines in one scene. Everything would be fine if those story lines were very clear, but they weren't. Actually, some scenes seemed silly for me. I love mind blowing movies, but this one... Yes, it is mind blowing, but I can't say that I liked it. I think it is too far from reality. Yes, this movie helped for Johnny Depp, helped to grow up like an actor, helped for his career path, but only he can say why and how, because I can't understand. Axel (Johnny Depp) was very passive character. He kept a close watch on everything. This movie balance between reality and fantasy. Personally, I prefer reality... By the way, some scenes looked unnecessary. Plot is too wide. Of course, this is my opinion. Watch this movie and make your own decision.

i just read a few of the other reviews and found them quite entertaining. first off, anyone who makes a comment such as Kusturica having lack of direction has obviously been weened on Hollywood fluff. Kusturica is a master director so pull your heads out of the sand or your butt's please! some people comment that the film is confusing. well, yes it is sometimes confusing, it's supposed to be! that's half the beauty of it. is there a law that says films have to make sense at all times?!?!? geeez. considering the title "Arizona Dream" you'd think the viewer would be half expecting something maybe....dreamlike?! correct me if i'm wrong but films are essentially entertainment and escapism are they not? then why do people constantly complain that a movie isn't historically accurate, or maybe too detatched from reality, doesn't follow a linear time path, or is "too weird". anyways, this movie has an excellent cast that work very well together. it has a totally original story and the soundtrack is outstanding. i don't agree with laying out the story line in a review so i'll just leave it a surprise. isn't more fun to watch a movie when you have no idea what is going to happen? for those people who are open to something refreshing and original, seek out this movie. it's a great little adventure well worth taking.

Now this is an oddball film. I never heard of it until starting the podcast with my wife, Jaime, who is a big Johnny Depp fan. He stars in this movie and I needed to do a bit of research to find this. I was able to secure a copy from the library for us to watch.

We start this off in Alaska where a fisher is trying to get home to his family with an odd, large fish that only has eyes on side. This is a difficult journey that almost sees him kill himself and his dogs almost dying in a pool caused by broken ice.

Now this turns out to be a recurring dream that Axel Blackmar (Depp) has. He works for Fish and Game for the state of New York in the city. He works in the bay. He is then kidnapped by his friend, Paul Leger (Vincent Gallo), when his uncle Leo Sweetie (Jerry Lewis) is getting married. Axel gets drunk by the coercion from Paul and drives him to Arizona. Axel is originally from here, but always wanted to live in NYC.

It is here that he decides to stay for a while. He works at the car lot run by Leo. There he meets Elaine Stalker (Faye Dunaway) and her stepdaughter, Grace (Lili Taylor). Things go on an odd stretch here as Axel falls in love with Elaine and plays in her wild fantasies of wanting to fly. Axel ignores his uncle and Paul's attempts to stay with her. He also sees that there's more to Grace than he realized.

That should recap the movie and introduce our characters, but I want to say that I made that more coherent than the story truly is. We get odd images and things happen as this is a surreal film. I did see tags here of it being a psychological drama and magical realism. The events we are seeing are happening. We are just seeing that these characters are feeling or experiencing them a bit different than what is truly occurring. Part of that is that Elaine is eccentric. She has these notions and she is living them out in a fantastic way. I think this film is made in a way that is great to capture this. It does make me question everything that we're seeing though.

I do have to admit something. When this movie ended, I had to look up things to make sense of what I saw. Something that helped was that there are allegorical images we are seeing. This floating fish is being used to show that we have characters who are 'fish out of water'. They're no longer in what they consider to be their normal. The Cadillacs are used to signify a better time and also the American dream. Axel continues to have this dream that he wants to make into a movie, but it also shows his struggles. We do get a great sequence where he watches old movies with Leo of the family to fill in backstory.

Where I want to then shift is talking about this ensemble cast. Depp is good here and he's acting alongside the likes of Lewis and Dunaway. They bring their unique characters to life. Then we have Gallo, who I know is another odd actor. It was fun to see a young Taylor, who I've seen in a handful of things. She doesn't turn in a bad performance. I also liked the cameo by Michael J. Pollard who has a unique look.

Now this isn't one that I can recommend to everyone. It is hard to follow, but I think you're supposed to just get lost in this world with our characters. They don't necessarily know what is going on either. What I will say is that there is a great tense atmosphere. It made Jaime and I uncomfortable, but it also helped keep us engaged as well. We watched this because of Depp and I'm seeing that he doesn't take on a lot of what people would consider 'normal' roles. He fits a quirky character like this so well. A negative here is that the computer effects are odd, but they're also not real. It does run too long. There is an interesting piece of surreal and arthouse work that I'd say to check out if that is something you enjoy though. It's a solid film overall.

My Rating: 7 out of 10.

They say that "Arizona Dream" is Kusturica's best work because it is American, well, it's not that American despite it was filmed there and probably is about the American dream, it is just a story of people's lives, like in all Kusturica's films, and it's just a great work of a great film director, not depending on geographical factors. The characters aren't sexy lady journalists or successful businessmen , they are those who we call usual people - but no one in the world is usual for we aren't made at a factory, and daily routine is much more interesting, and much more humane then any sci-fi-hi-tech-futuristic stuff. all the characters are a bit crazy and so is everything around. There's some magic in there , and something tragic, and everyone's little private dreams, useless and sweet , and relations between people which seem to be one thing but are absolutely another, though the people tied by them may never notice them or never admit, and love all the way through.

Despite being already a cult film, Arizona Dream is the clear demonstration that Kusturica feels much more comfortable among his Balkan people than surrounded by Hollywood stars in the Arizona desert. It's not that the movie is bad, it's actually quite interesting. It has poetry and that extravagant irreverence that so characterizes the Serbian director's work. But it lacks density. The characters talk about existential clichés revealing a density equivalent to a sheet of paper. What a difference when we remember his countrymen from Time of the Gipsies, from Underground or from Black Cat, White Cat. In these films Kusturica was being authentic, intelligently satirizing his people, his culture. Here's just trying to be Kusturica for Hollywood consumption.

Yugoslavian director Emir Kusterica is most well known for his critically acclaimed international films like "Time of the Gypsies" and "Underground"(1995). He did one English language film in Ameica. The film "Arizona Dream" is a highly underrated film that people have seem to forgotten. Which is a shame, since it has an amazing cast of well known actors like Johnny Depp, Vincent Gallo, Faye Dunaway, Jerry Lewis and Lili Taylor. Jonny Depp plays Axel a young twenty something dreamer. In the beginning of the film he has a dream about an Eskimo family. He works at a dock cleaning fish and often drifts away from reality to dreams. Him and his friend Paul (Vincent Gallo) drive to Arizona to visit Axel's uncle Mr. Sweetie (Jerry Lewis)who's a car salesman. I must say Depp and Lewis make a great comic duo. Axel and Paul end up staying with the wealthy Elaine Stalker and her suicidal daughter Grace (Lili Taylor). Axel starts dating Mrs. Stalker, but at the same time has strange feelings for her daughter. The film is very surreal and dreamlike. Mrs. Stalker obsessively dreams of flying, so her and Axel build a flying machine that resembles a Right Brothers style airplane. It's hilarious when the plain repeatedly malfunctions. There's also a floating fish throughout the movie, turtles, an attempted pantie hose suicide and a weird sex scene where Jonny Depp crows like a rooster (must be seen to be believed). Warner Bros. felt that the film was too European. So the film collected dust on their shelf and had a poor limited release. The film does have a magic-realist tragi-comedy style like Emir Kusterica's other Eastern European films. Co writer David Atkins later went on to write the screenplay for Novacaine. Also producer Claudie Ossard has also helped produce other bizarre films like "City of Lost Children". "Arizona Dream" is a quirky and strange masterpiece. Track down a VHS copy, or better yet the 20 minute longer international version. It's quite a cult sensation in Europe.

I've watched this twice, and I just cannot wrap my head around it properly. That's why I like it. The atmosphere is tantalizingly strange, the characters are idiosyncratic, and the Django Reinhardt music tops it all off. It's not a substantial movie, but I enjoy the sheer weirdness of it.

I can't recall any other film right now which would deserve my 10 out of 10 more then "Arizona". Every part of this film is 10 out of 10. Acting gets 10. Directing takes 10. Camera is 10. And music? Well, music takes 11.

It was too bohem for me, too many things were too fantasistic for me. This movie didn't made much sense for me from the first quarter afterwards. It was good to see Johnny perform, but this wasn't one of his best. Peace!

I was railroaded into seeing this movie by a former girlfriend. Apparently Emir Kustarica is a well-respected director and he's made quite a few films before and since, but this one stinks like a long-dead fish.

You'd need a university degree to be able to explain what's good about this film. There's probably something like a cerebral subtext and maybe the flying halibut is a metaphor for the conflict in the Former Yugoslav Republic, but there's very little entertainment.

I'd like to find out how this sort of meandering piffle can be regarded as art, but I fear that the knowledge may turn me into a monster. At parties I shy away from the over-educated, self-important types who spout about things like cerebral subtexts etc. Perhaps it's best if I just stay away from films like "Arizona Dreams" altogether. It's a film. I didn't like it. Maybe you will. Maybe you won't.

Probably you won't.