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 film like “Say Anything” would not have been nearly as memorable had John Cusack held a boombox over his head and played something other than Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.” There’s an art to choosing licensed music, and one that requires a lot of flexibility, given the hefty price tag of some of the most memorable songs. The new Netflix animated film, “In Your Dreams,” marks the feature directorial debut of Alex Woo, telling the story of Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) and her little brother Elliot (Elias Janssen) as they journey 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 Mom (Cristin Milioti) and Dad (Simu Liu) are a former musical duo faced with the marital strife that comes when having to figure out how to juggle personal passions with what’s best for a family, and “In Your Dreams” wisely expresses that 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 holds its own on a soundtrack boasting some of the catchiest jams ever written. “KPop Demon Hunters” is bringing chart-topping gold to Netflix, but “In Your Dreams” has some of the best needle drop 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 lucky that some of the most recognizable earworms fit right at home. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by the British new wave duo Eurythmics was featured in the trailers leading up to the film, but the coloratura contralto sound of Annie Lennox’s voice was also utilized to perfection during a montage of Stevie and Elliot being continually woken up by nightmares. On the flip side, a lesser-known song like “sleep2dream” from the indie artist ggwendolyn is a welcome addition. If you’ve not heard their hit “my year of rest & relaxation,” you’re missing out.
But some of the best musical cues are centered 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 creepy omen. The audience at the premiere laughed out loud when the music started to play, a joke that was lost on some of the younger viewers. However, when we learn that the Sandman isn’t all he’s cracked up to be and he sends his little Sandlings on the offensive, the choice to underscore the moment with “Enter Sandman” elicited full-body belly laughs from the adults in the crowd. Never did I think an all-ages family film would feature Metallica on the soundtrack, but I’m so, so glad “In Your Dreams” was brave enough to go for it. All that’s missing is “Dreams” by The Cranberries.
These are fairly obvious musical choices, but had the film not included them, people would be complaining about the missed opportunity to showcase the dream jams. (It’s me, I’m people).
In Your Dreams has a soundtrack littered with millennial classics
I had a small existential crisis in the middle of “In Your Dreams” when I realized that, as a 35-year-old, Elliot and Stevie’s parents are around my age. As such, when Stevie is rocking out to OutKast’s “Hey Ya!” while making breakfast in the opening scene, it means that this is a kid being introduced to her parents’ favorite music, rather than listening to what happens to be currently popular on the radio. This is a song that Stevie feels nostalgia for because it reminds her of growing up with her parents, not unlike the way I feel about any song performed by Bon Jovi.
The same goes for the song “Don’t Cha” by The Pussycat Dolls, which has since been repurposed into a song about hot, cheesy pizza at the Chuck E. Cheese-esque play place that Elliot and Stevie visit. Did you know that pharmaceutical ads intentionally choose music to appeal to the demographics who grew up with that music? Companies utilize a similar tactic to keep parents from going crazy at child-centric entertainment centers. I’m sorry, my fellow millennials, but the songs that we used to shake ass to at the club are now being subliminally used 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 in the style of “It’s a Small World” during a dream sequence … and an even bigger liar if I said I didn’t have it stuck in my head for days after seeing the film for the first time.
“In Your Dreams” is now available to stream on Netflix. And I, uh, apologize in advance for “Don’t Cha” getting stuck in your head.
