Arizona Dream

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Arizona Dream

R

1994

1h 59m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Axel (Johnny Depp) gets caught up into the family car business when his cousin, Paul (Vincent Gallo), coaxes him to come to Arizona to attend the wedding of their Uncle Leo (Jerry Lewis). As Axel makes the decision to try selling Cadillacs with his family, he meets an eccentric woman named Elaine (Faye Dunaway) and her equally quirky stepdaughter, Grace (Lili Taylor). Their lives become inextricably intertwined through romance, dreams -- and death.

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Critics Consensus

Inscrutably strange, yet undeniably compelling, Arizona Dream is anchored by magnetic performances from Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Dec 1, 2008

Kusturica grafts his sometimes unwieldy Europe-inflected concerns onto brash American landscapes with mixed results. Much is made of dreams that, either spoken of at length or illustrated, are offered in lieu of character development.

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Jun 24, 2006

The first 'American' film by the director of Time of the Gypsies is every bit as bizarre and imaginative as his earlier work, although it's also maddeningly indulgent and erratic.

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Janet Maslin

New York Times

Aug 30, 2004

Even at its full length, showing off a more seductive rhythm and the buoyant humanism that is this director's calling card, it remains as ripe a subject for therapy as for criticism.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Jun 27, 2015

B-

Though entertaining at times, it's not everyone's dream pic.

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TV Guide

Jun 19, 2009

3.5/4

Lewis is only slightly awful, and he and Depp have a nice rapport; Dunaway gives a particularly juicy performance; and Taylor is simply amazing, seemingly able to transform herself physically for every role she plays.

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Film4 Staff

Film4

Jun 19, 2009

A peculiar and entrancing gem.

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Leon H

@RT13589101 Aug 27, 2026

Magic realism and I do not make easy bedfellows. I didn't hate this movie but I didn't like it much either. Don't expect character development or a real plot - rather it's just a mess of occurrences which are either going to appeal or irritate depending on your sensibilities. It seems a waste of a talented, eclectic cast and having finished it, I gained or gleaned nothing from it. Two good scenes (the amateur talent night and the microlight flight homaging North by Northwest) are not enough for a film that slowly ambles it's way through a 2h 20min runtime. I was however quite stunned by the uncanny resemblance of Paulina Porizkova (Millie - Leo's fiance) to Margot Robbie. In summation - pfft...

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Ari S

@RT76826585 Aug 9, 2026

Arizona Dream feels like a beautiful fever dream strange, funny, melancholy, and impossible to explain without losing some of its magic. The performances are wonderfully eccentric, especially as the characters drift between fantasy and reality, carrying their loneliness like a secret. There’s something deeply poignant beneath all the surrealism: people dreaming of escape while desperately searching for connection. A wonderfully odd, bittersweet film that feels less like a story than a memory you’re not quite sure really happened.

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Jerod S

@jeroduptown Jun 26, 2026

Depp ends up in love with Dunaway (which is pretty uncomfy) after he moves to arizona to sell cars.

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Mo S.

@9mr_0 Dec 4, 2025

فيلم جميل جدا دراما و كوميديا خفيفه موسيقى رائعه و تصوير جميل اضافه قصه حلوه رغم النهاية الحزينه

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 22, 2025

Funny in 1 hour and 59 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Kathryn V

@RT32297663 Aug 3, 2024

Real good movie , some good laughs. A little weird.

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Emir Kusturica

Director

Johnny Depp

Blackmar

Jerry Lewis

Leo Sweetie

Faye Dunaway

Elaine Stalker

Lili Taylor

Grace Stalker

Vincent Gallo

Paul Leger

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Synopsis

Axel (Johnny Depp) gets caught up into the family car business when his cousin, Paul (Vincent Gallo), coaxes him to come to Arizona to attend the wedding of their Uncle Leo (Jerry Lewis). As Axel makes the decision to try selling Cadillacs with his family, he meets an eccentric woman named Elaine (Faye Dunaway) and her equally quirky stepdaughter, Grace (Lili Taylor). Their lives become inextricably intertwined through romance, dreams -- and death.

Director: Emir Kusturica
Producer: Yves Marmion, Claudie Ossard
Screenwriter: David Atkins, Emir Kusturica, David Atkins
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Constellation
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 9, 1994, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2008
Runtime: 1h 59m
Sound Mix: LC-Concept Digital Sound, Dolby, Stereo

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