Distinctly Montana Magazine

84 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • FA L L 2 0 2 3 Released a year after his Academy Award-winning supporting performance in Good Will Hunting (1997), What Dreams May Come is another example of Williams's serious performances. He had played non-comic roles before these two, but this was the time in his career that more dramatic turns became more gen- erally accepted as an option he could choose. He wasn't a con- ventional romantic lead, something a few reviews complained about, but there is a fundamental sincerity and warmth to his performance that makes it easy to see how Chris and Annie fell in love to begin with, as well as to invest in his soul-mated devotion to her. Sciorra was apparently uninterested in taking the part, but changed her mind after doing a read-through with Williams. She has a more static role, as Annie is depressed and enchained by grief for much of the film, but she and Williams nevertheless have a touching rapport in their moments together; the film would have nowhere to go if they didn't, so this is an important achievement. And, undeniably, Williams's own death grants a poignant meta-layer to the film that it wouldn't have otherwise. The rest of the cast comes across well enough. Cuba Good- ing Jr., at the high-riding post-Jerry Maguire phase of his career, gives a fun energy to Albert, as well as a dash of mystery. Al- though it is worth mentioning that it was this character, along with Michael Clark Duncan's in The Green Mile (1999) and Will Smith's in The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000), which led to the identification of the "Magical Negro" trope in American cine- ma. Two pleasant casting surprises appear in the second half of the film. The Tracker who guides Chris into Hell is Max Von Sy- dow; who better to led one across the infernal regions than the Exorcist himself? And who else would've been a better choice as one of the highlighted faces of the Damned that Chris nearly trips over than Werner Herzog? The Mandalorian has made this cameo less of an Easter egg than it would've been in 1998, but it doesn't make it any less appropriate. The movie received mixed reviews upon its release and came up short at the box office, bringing in $75 million against a $90 million budget. But even 25 years down the line, What Dreams May Come still stands as an impressive visual achievement, as well as an option for viewers in search of an earnest romance. And it's not every day that Love Across the Supernatural Divide is aided by Glacier National Park. Best Car Wash In Montana! exterior express thank you for voting us best car wash! car wash montana montana HWY 93 at Commons Way Kalispell BlueCowMT.com GLACIER NATIONAL PARK WAS USED TO FILM A FEW SCENES FOR BOTH SETTINGS; ITS WATERFALLS AND VERTIGINOUS MOUNTAINS PROVIDE A TASTE OF REAL-LIFE GRANDEUR

• Cover