Dreamin' Wild is a 2022 American biographical drama film written, directed, and produced by Bill Pohlad, and starring Casey Affleck, Noah Jupe, Zooey Deschanel, Walton Goggins, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Beau Bridges. Its storyline is based on the life of singer-musician brothers Donnie and Joe Emerson.
The film had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 2022. It was released on August 4, 2023, by Roadside Attractions.
Contents
Plot
30 years after it was recorded, the 1978 debut album of brothers Donnie and Joe Emerson is rediscovered long after they have given up on their rock 'n' roll dreams.
Cast
Casey Affleck as Donnie Emerson
Noah Jupe as young Donnie
Zooey Deschanel as Nancy
Walton Goggins as Joe Emerson
Jack Dylan Grazer as young Joe
Beau Bridges as Don Sr.
Chris Messina as Matt Sullivan
Production
In April 2019, it was announced Bill Pohlad would direct, write, and produce a biographical film about Donnie and Joe Emerson, with Focus Features set to distribute. In October 2021, Casey Affleck, Noah Jupe, Zooey Deschanel, Chris Messina, Jack Dylan Grazer and Walton Goggins joined the cast of the film.
Principal photography began in October 2021, in Spokane, Washington.
Release
The film had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 2022. In March 2023, Roadside Attractions acquired distribution rights to the film, and scheduled a release date on August 4, 2023.
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 60 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "The thoughtful and well-acted Dreamin' Wild honors the creative impulse and the faith it takes to will a dream into reality." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.