It seems like there will be no shortage of Los Angeles-set features about musicians trying to follow their dreams this fall. Before La La Land arrives in December, we have Dreamland, another independent drama that seems a touch less romantic. Directed by Robert Schwartzman, it follows Johnny Simmons as a down-and-out pianist trying to make it work in the City of Angels.
Ahead of a release next week, the first trailer has now arrived for the film that premiered earlier this year at Tribeca. We’ve been impressed by Simmons in Scott Pilgrim, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, 21 Jump Street, and even Whiplash (the short), so hopefully a leading role suits him well here. Check out the trailer and soundtrack preview below for the film also starring Amy Landecker, Jason Schwartzman, Frankie Shaw, Noël Wells, Beverly D’Angelo, and Talia Shire.
Los Angeles musician Monty Fagan is going through a rough patch. He’s a grown man who lives with his girlfriend… in her mom’s house. He wants to open a piano bar… but suffers from an extreme case of insufficient funds. Things take an interesting turn, however, when Monty gets the chance to fill in as the pianist in a swanky hotel bar, where he meets Olivia, an older, wealthy femme fatale with whom he begins a rather torrid affair. Enlivened by Olivia’s presence in his life, Monty gets a newfound self-confidence and sexual prowess. But when Olivia starts to throw some much-needed cash at Monty — dressing him in expensive clothes and offering to fund his dream bar — he begins worry that being a kept man will destroy his ability to make it on his own terms.
Dreamland hits theaters and VOD on November 11th.