Daydream Nation
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Metascore
57 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Summary: Seventeen-year-old Caroline Wexler is facing a teenager’s nightmare: her widowed father has moved them from the big city to a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. When Caroline realizes she has nothing in common with the burnout losers in her new school she pursues the one person with who excxcites her interest – her handsome young teacher, Mr Anderson. A bizarre love triange ensues between Caroline, Mr Anderson, and a sweet, but troubled classmate. Featuring a hit indie soundtrack in this mash-up of the bizarre and the beautiful, Daydream Nation is a coming-of-age story for the 21st century. (Anchor Bay Films)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    May 5, 2011
    80
    Daydream Nation hopscotches forward and backward and in and out of the surreal; its abrupt tangents are announced by chapter headings. In the most complicated sequence the film tracks three characters simultaneously. The cinematography is darkly lush in an ominous "Twin Peaks" mode.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mark Olsen
    May 5, 2011
    60
    A fitfully engaging effort that is most successful as a performance piece for actors Kat Dennings and Reece Thompson.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Joe Neumaier
    May 6, 2011
    60
    Writer-director Michael Goldbach fills the story with too many distractions, but Dennings, known for "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist," is feline and fun.
  4. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Nick Schager
    May 3, 2011
    20
    Michael Goldbach's pretentious take on identity development is woefully lacking in either subversive humor or genuine pathos; the overwrought end-of-the-world backdrop of a rampaging serial killer and a toxic industrial fire only poisons the concoction further.

See all 8 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. ericaquaint
    9
    What a cool find! This movie flew under the radar, but don't let that discourage you from checking it out. It was romantic and funny and extremely dark for a teen film. The plot follows a girl that moves to a small town where she can't relate to the locals, so she tries re-inventing herself. I won't spoil anything, but needless to say this quickly leads to trouble. But what sets the movie apart are the complicated turns in the characters, and the surreal and slightly druggy atmosphere that hovers over everything. In some ways this movie caught my high school experience more closely than any Hollywood fare. Sometimes the movie slides off the rails, so it's not perfect -- but as the movie itself suggest, our ideas of what perfection means are open to interpretation.… Expand
  2. beelzie14
    9
    A great watch with some passionate performances from indie and mainstream actors/actresses. Kat Dennings is beautiful but also a fantastic actress who can portray a vast array of emotions. She is the next Ellen Page in my eyes.
    I liken this to Juno on acid washed down with a bottle of absinthe. Heart-warming and romantic with tragic characters making their way through mixed up lives.
    I cannot recommend highly enough if you enjoy films with layers and depth of story.    … Expand
  3. pleaseandthanks
    8
    Just saw this movie on Netflix streaming and now I wish I'd seen it in theaters. Beautifully constructed, with the kind of buoyant messiness that perfectly captures being an overdramatic teenager, this movie was a sweet little surprise. Kat Dennings does a nice job as the femme fatale who realizes part way through the film that the role she's putting on at school doesn't lead to happiness. I highly recommend for people who like their teen movies tinged with something darker. Good movie.… Expand
  4. filmtrashreview
    7
    I felt like I really was in a daydream watching Daydream Nation possibly it was the set design and amazing sound that made the film 100 percent artful or possibly it was the fact that for over fifty minutes of the hour and a half long film I just sat there half asleep waiting for something to happen. It's artful but it is boring!… Expand

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