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The Dream Team

The Dream Team

Comedy · Crime · Thriller · 1989

Four mental patients on a field trip in New York City must save their caring chaperone, who ends up being taken to a hospital in a coma after accidentally witnessing a murder, before the killers can find him and finish the job.

Movie details

The Dream Team

“This morning they were playing ping-pong in the hospital rec room. Now they're lost in New York and framed for murder. This was never covered in group therapy.”

1989 Comedy · Crime · Thriller 1h 53m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.1 / 10

Community rating

Four mental patients on a field trip in New York City must save their caring chaperone, who ends up being taken to a hospital in a coma after accidentally witnessing a murder, before the killers can find him and finish the job.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Dream Team?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Howard Zieff

Written by

David Loucka · Jon Connolly

Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton

Billy Caufield

Christopher Lloyd

Christopher Lloyd

Henry Sikorsky

Peter Boyle

Peter Boyle

Jack McDermott

Stephen Furst

Stephen Furst

Albert Ianuzzi

Dennis Boutsikaris

Dennis Boutsikaris

Dr. Weitzman

Lorraine Bracco

Lorraine Bracco

Riley

Milo O'Shea

Milo O'Shea

Dr. Newald

Court is in session

Put The Dream Team on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“It owes the canon nothing.”

The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.

The prosecution The Prestige Tourist

“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”

It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.