Dream a Little Dream
Bobby Kellar has a crush on Lainie Diamond, girlfriend of school jerk Joel. Coleman is working on an experiment which will help him move into a place where Dreams are reality. When an accident occurs Coleman finds himself in Bobby's body and can only contact Bobby in his dreams.
The film earned $5.6M at the global box office.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Dream a Little Dream (1989) reveals strategically placed plot construction, characteristic of Marc Rocco's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 10-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 54 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.3, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Bobby Keller is introduced as a high school outsider struggling to fit in and win the attention of popular girl Lainie Diamond while dealing with his misfit status.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when During a meditation experiment, Coleman and Gena are caught in a supernatural event while Bobby happens to be nearby. A cosmic accident occurs causing Coleman's consciousness to transfer into Bobby's body.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The Collapse moment at 85 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Coleman's body is dying and Gena reveals that if they don't reverse the transfer immediately, Coleman will die and Bobby will be trapped forever with an elderly man's consciousness. Bobby faces losing both his identity and the relationship with Lainie he's built., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 91 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Bobby and Gena work to recreate the meditation conditions to reverse the transfer. In a climactic sequence, they successfully restore both consciousnesses to their proper bodies. Coleman awakens, saved. Bobby must now face Lainie as his true self, carrying forward the lessons learned., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Dream a Little Dream's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 10 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Dream a Little Dream against these established plot points, we can identify how Marc Rocco utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Dream a Little Dream within the fantasy genre.
Marc Rocco's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Marc Rocco films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.8, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Dream a Little Dream takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Marc Rocco filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional fantasy films include Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Conan the Barbarian and Batman Forever. For more Marc Rocco analyses, see Murder in the First.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Bobby Keller is introduced as a high school outsider struggling to fit in and win the attention of popular girl Lainie Diamond while dealing with his misfit status.
Theme
Coleman Ettinger, the elderly professor, discusses with his wife Gena about dreams, consciousness, and the possibility of transcending physical limitations, establishing the film's theme about identity and seeing the world through new eyes.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Bobby's world: his friendship with Dinger and Joel, his crush on Lainie, the high school social hierarchy, and the mysterious elderly couple Coleman and Gena who live in the neighborhood conducting dream experiments.
Disruption
During a meditation experiment, Coleman and Gena are caught in a supernatural event while Bobby happens to be nearby. A cosmic accident occurs causing Coleman's consciousness to transfer into Bobby's body.
Resistance
Bobby awakens with Coleman's consciousness inside him while Coleman's body lies comatose. Bobby struggles to understand what happened, exhibiting strange behaviors and knowledge he shouldn't possess. His friends notice the dramatic personality change.
Act II
ConfrontationPremise
The fun of the premise: Bobby with Coleman's consciousness navigates high school with newfound confidence, impresses Lainie with poetry and maturity, outsmarts bullies, and experiences life from a completely different perspective while trying to understand how to reverse the switch.
Opposition
Pressure mounts as Coleman's physical body worsens. Bobby struggles with the moral implications of staying in this beneficial situation versus saving Coleman. Lainie begins to sense something is wrong. Bobby's friends are confused and concerned. The window to fix the transfer is closing.
Collapse
Coleman's body is dying and Gena reveals that if they don't reverse the transfer immediately, Coleman will die and Bobby will be trapped forever with an elderly man's consciousness. Bobby faces losing both his identity and the relationship with Lainie he's built.
Crisis
Bobby grapples with the impossible choice: remain as this improved version of himself with Lainie's love, or sacrifice everything to save Coleman and return to being the awkward outsider. He must confront what he's truly learned about identity and authenticity.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Bobby and Gena work to recreate the meditation conditions to reverse the transfer. In a climactic sequence, they successfully restore both consciousnesses to their proper bodies. Coleman awakens, saved. Bobby must now face Lainie as his true self, carrying forward the lessons learned.