Dream Lover is a good example of the kind of tawdry erotic thriller churned out by producers who were encouraged by the success of Basic Instinct. Madchen Amick is the morally unbalanced schemer here, the kind of "dream lover" who effortlessly seduces men into lowering their defenses before proceeding to destroy them. It's a character type that has been part of the film landscape for far too long to seem remotely original (or charitable, for that matter). Amick gets down the mystery, but she's as uncomfortable with the character's hysterics and smirking dialogue as anyone would be given the poor writing. It's a familiar role for James Spader (similarly misused by a deceptively charming Rob Lowe in Bad Influence [1990]), though that's a much stronger performance and a much better film. Dream Lover pretends to be a stylish consideration of calculating deviousness, but it's really just another movie about a psycho bent on causing trouble, straight from the cinematic cookie cutter.