Watching a movie in 2024 starring Johnny Knoxville you would likely believe you are about to watch a film about a 55-year-old man who is going to do significant damage to his physical body due to unresolved psychological issues.

After 25 years of doing content for the Jackass franchise, most people expect him to find new ways to brutalize himself in his latest attempt to do anything but voice therapy. Here is a shocking revelation, Johnny Knoxville does not hurt himself throughout the entire movie.

While you guys pick your jaws off of the floor, ask yourself what is the catch?  It’s hard to remember the last time we got serious Knoxville in a film but the most recent example certainly comes from Paramount Pictures.

Hollywood is a town that is no stranger to drug and alcohol addiction along with the legal proceedings that come with it. What better industry than Hollywood to make a film overcoming the struggles with addiction?

Writer and director Lije Sarki inspired his own real-life experiences and struggles with sobriety to bring the story of ‘Sweet Dreams’ to life. The film begins with Knoxville playing the character of Morris,  a raging alcoholic who finds himself beaten up and half-naked in a park bench in the middle of Los Angeles, and at that moment he realizes that he needs help. 

After being cut off by his wife and his daughter, Morris checks into a halfway house where he is committed to getting himself sober.  That doesn’t mean that the consequences of his actions are going away anytime soon as a viral video of Morris completely out of control has led to the possibility of him losing his marriage and ever seeing his daughter ever again.

With the only thing important to him in his life on the cusp of losing forever,  Morris has no choice but to take his sobriety seriously while dealing with others who are attempting to do the same thing. In the course of his stay, it is discovered that the other recovering addicts are at risk of losing their houses thus threatening their sobriety. 

Morris gets the idea that if they can compete and win a softball tournament,  they can win the money to keep the house and that’s exactly what he plans on doing. You would expect a movie that has numerous LA comedians to be a lot funnier however ‘Sweet Dreams’ plays its film far more straight ahead than you would expect.

The film forces you to identify with the human struggle and identify with people who are prone to a multitude of past mistakes.  The theme of this film is redemption,  those who find Redemption and those who die trying to find Redemption.

Despite dealing with The darker reality of addiction the film has a light-hearted tone to it and it does so by showing The Human Condition while showing the hope of overcoming shortcomings. Comedians Bobby Lee and Theo Von assist Knoxville by giving some much-needed levity to the film but their comedic chops help create the cast of characters you would normally see at a seedy rehab house. 

The film is very much a character study that comes from the perspective of the writer and director reliving his worst days and using them as a signal for hope for the future. Johnny Knoxville is about as seduced as you’re going to get in this film and honestly, it is for the better.

The character of Morris comes off as a real person with serious problems as the film gives us a man who has finally realized he has hit rock bottom as his actions now have consequences for those around him. When it comes to the plot of having to win a softball tournament To win a cash prize, the plot is a bit ridiculous and convenient however the film does not hide its ridiculousness especially when a team of drunks attempts to learn softball in a matter of a week.

Sweet Dreams is a movie that’s going to take many moviegoers by surprise but how good it is given the names attached to it. But it’s a solid heartfelt drama and one of the biggest surprise hits of 2024.

3.5/5

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