El amante ideal

DREAM LOVER is a nicely made, well-acted little film about a man who meets and marries the girl of his dreams but begins to wonder who she really is. This film marks the directorial debut of screenwriter Nicholas Kazan, the son of Elia Kazan. He did a very impressive job. The cleverest touch is having a framing device which has a crazed clown at a carnival who explains the major plot developments to James Spader's character and to us as well. Spader plays a very successful businessman who just got a divorce and is very lonely. But a chance encounter with a beautiful young woman named Lena (Madchen Amick in a very incisive performance) changes that. She is perfect in every way. I can't reveal much more story than that. The plot twists and turns like a pretzel. It's not always plausible, especially the ending, but it is entertaining all the same.