What Dreams May Come (1998)

October 2, 1998 (US) • Drama, Fantasy, Romance • 113m

Overview

Chris Nielsen dies to find himself in a heaven more amazing than he could have ever dreamed of. There is one thing missing: his wife. After he died, his wife Annie killed herself and went to hell. Chris decides to risk eternity in Hades for the small chance that he will be able to bring her back to heaven.

Director

Vincent Ward

Writers

Ronald Bass, Richard Matheson

Top Billed

Robin Williams

Keywords

paradise husband wife relationship soulmates afterlife painting hell heaven car crash death death of husband spiritism death of a child lost souls dramatic souls informative

Where to watch

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Top Billed Cast

Robin Williams

Chris Nielsen

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Albert Lewis

Annabella Sciorra

Annie Collins-Nielsen

Max von Sydow

The Tracker

Jessica Brooks Grant

Marie Nielsen

Josh Paddock

Ian Nielsen

Rosalind Chao

Leona

Lucinda Jenney

Mrs. Jacobs

Maggie McCarthy

Stacey Jacobs

Wilma Bonet

Angie

Matt Salinger

Reverend Hanley

Carin Sprague

Best Friend Cindy

June Carryl

Woman in Car Accident

Werner Herzog

Face

Clara Thomas

Little Girl at Lake

Benjamin Brock

Little Boy at Lake

London Freeman

Kid by the Dock (uncredited)

Phaedra Neitzel

Angel (uncredited)

Tom O'Reilly

Devil (Hell Scene) (uncredited)

Crew

Eduardo Serra

Director of Photography

Stephen Deutsch

Producer

Scott Kroopf

Executive Producer

David Brenner

Editor

Maysie Hoy

Editor

Vincent Ward

Director

Ted Field

Executive Producer

Erica Huggins

Executive Producer

Ronald Bass

Screenplay

Richard Matheson

Novel

Barnet Bain

Producer

Ronald Bass

Executive Producer

Daryl Tucker

VFX Artist

Graham Stumpf

Post Production Supervisor

Dawn Solér

Music Supervisor

Michael Becker

Costumer

Bob Yerkes

Stunts

Erin Kemp

Set Designer

Fríða Aradóttir

Key Hair Stylist

Patricio M. Farrell

Art Department Production Assistant

Gilbert Rosales

Stunts

Brian Smrz

Stunts

Scott Sproule

Stunts

David Kneupper

Supervising Sound Editor

Stephen Balliet

Boom Operator

Dane Farwell

Stunts

Tomas Voth

Supervising Art Director

Peter Bankins

Property Master

Clay Donahue Fontenot

Stunts

Gregg Smrz

Stunts

Kelly Smrz

Stunts

Phil Bray

Still Photographer

Gary Morgan

Stunts

Christian 'Pipo' Wintter

Art Direction

Scott Kinzey

Boom Operator

Jim Dultz

Supervising Art Director

Dawn Swiderski

Set Designer

Cindy J. Williams

Key Makeup Artist

Barbara Lorenz

Hairstylist

Fred Runner

Boom Operator

Alicia Maccarone

Set Designer

Peter Michael Sullivan

Supervising Sound Editor

Mike Helbig

Leadman

Nelson Stoll

Production Sound Mixer

Frank Masi

Still Photographer

Keith Woulard

Stunts

Darlene Ava Williams

Stunts

Russell Solberg

Stunts

Merritt Yohnka

Stunts

Michelle Wright

Executive In Charge Of Production

John W. Micheletos

Set Dresser

Carol Sadler

Costume Supervisor

Terry Baliel

Hairstylist

Jeff Habberstad

Stunts

Rosine 'Ace' Hatem

Stunts

Patrick Cyccone Jr.

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Aric Lasher

Set Designer

William Morts

Stunts

Patrick J. Statham

Stunts

Mark Van Loon

Steadicam Operator

Carol DePasquale

Script Supervisor

Michael Pew

Assistant Location Manager

Chris Furia

First Assistant Accountant

James Reedy

Special Effects Supervisor

Marci Graber

Post Production Accountant

Thomas O'Neil Younkman

Assistant Sound Editor

Mary Ruth Smith

ADR Editor

Jessica Gallavan

ADR Supervisor

Lorisa D. Francis

Post Production Coordinator

Dino DiMuro

Sound Editor

Scott Martin Gershin

Sound Editor

Bob Beher

Sound Editor

Christine Bonnem

Location Manager

Maureen Stanton-Leveque

Assistant Production Coordinator

Simon Coke

ADR Editor

Neal J. Anderson

Dialogue Editor

Don L. Henderson

Dolly Grip

Jon Title

Sound Editor

Paul Timothy Carden

Sound Editor

Patrick N. Sellers

Sound Editor

Dan M. Rich

Dialogue Editor

Jack English

Gaffer

Roy Arbogast

Special Effects Coordinator

Chris Jargo

ADR Supervisor

Constance A. Kazmer

ADR Editor

Dean Drabin

ADR Mixer

Gretchen van Zeebroeck

Production Coordinator

Peter G. Travers

CG Supervisor

Kenneth Littleton

Digital Effects Supervisor

Daryl B. Kell

Music Editor

Michael Umble

Unit Publicist

Lawrence Littleton

Digital Effects Supervisor

Sarah Monat

Foley Artist

Brent Brooks

Music Editor

Nina Henninger

Location Casting

Elise Ganz

Studio Teacher

David Novack

ADR Mixer

Laura Harris Atkinson

Dialogue Editor

Scott Gordon

CG Supervisor

Jacques Levesque

Digital Compositor

Richard Michalak

Second Unit Director of Photography

Keith Kolder

CG Artist

Victoria Carlson

Standby Painter

Wayne Nelson

Transportation Coordinator

Brandon McNaughton

Digital Compositor

Randy K. Singer

Foley Mixer

Mike Schmitt

3D Supervisor

Daniel P. Rosen

Compositor

Ann Monn

Digital Compositor

Brent Gilmartin

Digital Compositor

Seth Lippman

CG Artist

David Fudge

Second Unit First Assistant Director

Hector C. Gika

Sound Editor

Bill Abbott

Music Editor

Duane Robinson

Key Rigging Grip

Karen Ansel

CG Supervisor

John Rauh

Digital Compositor

Brian Hanable

Digital Compositor

Bob Wiatr

Digital Compositor

Sandra Germain

CG Artist

Robert Butch Samarzich

Greensman

Laura Graham

ADR Editor

James Moriana

Foley Artist

David W. Alstadter

Foley Mixer

David Crawford

Digital Compositor

Monika Mikkelsen

Casting Associate

Kris Nicolau

Additional Casting

Rodney Armanino

Construction Coordinator

Jan Ruona

Second Assistant Camera

Patrick McArdle

First Assistant Camera

Paul Sanchez

First Assistant Camera

Kim Marks

Camera Operator

Michael Keller

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Anastas N. Michos

Camera Operator

Eric Amundsen

Second Assistant Camera

Anne Lee

Camera Loader

Nina Henninger

Casting

Michael Kamen

Original Music Composer

Eugenio Zanetti

Production Design

Heidi Levitt

Casting

Robert E. 'Bobby' Powell

Rigging Gaffer

Stephen McLaughlin

Scoring Mixer

Audrey Chang

VFX Editor

Stuart Robertson

Visual Effects Supervisor

Ellen Somers

Visual Effects Producer

Joel Hynek

Visual Effects Supervisor

Ellen Somers

Visual Effects Supervisor

Dean Wright

Visual Effects Producer

Nicholas Brooks

Visual Effects Supervisor

Kevin Scott Mack

Visual Effects Supervisor

Michael Van Himbergen

Visual Effects Producer

Joshua Rosen

Visual Effects Art Director

Carl Seibert

Visual Effects Producer

Ken Jones

Visual Effects Supervisor

Patti Kuwaye Mauck

Visual Effects Producer

Cindy Carr

Set Decoration

Yvonne Blake

Costume Design

Tierre Turner

Stunt Double

Dan Bell

Stunts

Chase Allen

Stunts

Noby Arden

Stunts

Charles Croughwell

Stunt Coordinator

Michael Anthony Mitchell

Stunt Double

Debbie Evans

Stunt Driver

Tammy Brady Conrad

Stunts

Joey Anaya

Stunts

Liisa Cohen

Stunts

Gwynn Turnbull Weaver

Stunts

Matthew E. Butler

3D Artist

Jon Guterres

Key Grip

Rexford L. Metz

Underwater Director of Photography

Reviews

CinemaSerf

⭐ 6/10

August 7, 2025

Hindsight, and all that, but I wonder how much of the things going through the mind of his character here were actually going through the mind of Robin Williams himself in his later life? Here, he is doctor “Chris” who quite literally collides with “Annie” (Annabella Sciorra) in their boats, and the whirlwind that ensues sees them married and living in the USA. An accident in a road tunnel sees him try to help a stranded driver, but before he can assist he comes a cropper himself and is soon up in heaven being looked after by Cuba Gooding Jnr. So far, it does sound quite heavenly! Unfortunately, “Annie” just cannot handle life without her new husband especially as this is not the first time tragedy has affected her life, and now she is truly bereft. Her solution sees her sent elsewhere and so “Chris” has to convince his new friend “Albert” that - yep - true love conquers all, even in matters of heaven and hell. To prove that very point, he decides to sacrifice his Elysian existence and set off to find her - but that is a journey fraught with emotional pitfalls that build on his memories of her, their family, and of his own frailties. Upon his journey, he is also to have the sagely honesty of “The Tracker” (Max Von Sydow) on his shoulder. Perhaps I’m a bit of a cynic, but though Williams’s effort is engaging, I found this all just a little too soft-focus sentimental. It presents character difficulties and flaws at us, but never ones that we know won’t be resolved, and usually fairly predictability. The bumps in his not so yellow brick road seem contrived for the plot rather than to really showcase the ghastliness and loneliness of grief. On that front, Sciorra delivers quite potently for a time; as the story develops it gives Gooding a little more to get his teeth into, and von Sydow has his “Seventh Seal” (1957) to draw from - which he does with a scene-stealing integrity. Mainly, though, it is a showcase for the star to show he is not just about comedy. He can clearly tackle more substantial issues and at no point throughout didn’t ever feel like laughing. Sadly, though, I didn’t ever feel like crying either. For a film that is all about the essence of what makes us people, it’s remarkably soul-less.

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