The Feature:
I'd like to think I have a pretty open mind when it comes to movies. I'm able to enjoy lowbrow comedies for what they are, as well as overly-artsy independent films. But in the case of "Dream for an Insomniac", I found it nothing more than meandering dialogue that probably looked good in a script, and a nonsensical plot revolving around a woman looking for her one true love.

Essentially a modernized version of "Sleeping Beauty", "Dream for an Insomniac" is about a twenty-something female named Frankie (Ione Skye). She's cute, but has a major problem… She hasn't slept a full night since she was six years old, and won't do so until she meets the man of her dreams (if she wants to get some much-needed sleep, she should watch this movie, as it would KO her in a matter of seconds). Alone with her friend Allison (a surprisingly underutilized Jennifer Anniston), they venture off to San Francisco to pursue their respective acting careers.

If I recall correctly, this film was finished back in 1995, released theatrically in 1998, and is finally making its way to DVD five years later. I wonder why this movie's been in post-production hell… could it be because it's not a good movie? Nah. Anyways, Frankie, being the helpless romantic that she is, is looking for a man with, and I quote, "a soul of a poet and eyes like Frank Sinatra." Jeez, I ended up pitying David (Mackenzie Astin), the guy who she's convinced is the man of her dreams. I kept screaming at my TV, "No David! Run away! She'll be impossible to please later on in life!" I will give this film one positive remark… I liked how it used The Eels "Novocain for the Soul" in the opening credits.

Video:
"Dream for an Insomniac" is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1. Colors and flesh tones look pretty good, although the print does suffer from grain during the first part of the movie (the first part is in black-and-white). Columbia Tri-Star is pretty good about delivering good transfers, so I'll chalk up any problems with the picture to the fact that the movie was made on a small budget.

Audio:
The audio is presented here in Dolby 2.0. Though mostly dialogue and background score, the 2.0 soundtrack does not take full advantage of my setup. On the plus side, there are no audio dropouts, and the overly developed character dialogue is clear and audible.

Menus:
Static DVD menu with the following choices: "Play Movie", "Subtitles", "Scene Selections", and "Trailers."

Extras:
Three trailers… "America's Sweethearts", "Maid in Manhattan", and "The Sweetest Thing."

Final Thoughts:
Skip it baby. A mediocre movie, no extras (trailers don't count), average audio and video, and an MSRP of $24.95 means no sale. I guess if you're a rabid fan of Skye or Anniston, this may be worth a rental, but as that old saying goes, "curiosity killed the cat"… or in my case, put me to sleep.