See Donnie and Joe Emerson Grapple With Fame Later in Life in ‘Dreamin’ Wild’ Trailer
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Donnie and Joe Emerson were teenage wannabe pop star brothers when they recorded Dreamin’ Wild, a 1979 album that fell into obscurity until Light in the Attic Records gave it a second chance. Their story is the basis of the upcoming biopic Dreamin’ Wild, which comes out Aug. 4.
The trailer depicts the bothers both as teens, figuring out how to make an album with their father’s encouragement, as well as grownups when Light in the Attic convinced them that re-releasing the album would be a good idea. The two-and-a-half–minute clip also hints at the fragile, bittersweet bond that connects the brothers who, despite being flattered by latter-day reviews comparing them to the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, chafe at each other’s supposed talent as they try to mount a tour.
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Casey Affleck — whose past sexual harassment allegations have haunted his career in recent years — plays Donnie, while Walton Goggins plays Joe. Zooey Deschanel portrays Nancy, Donnie’s wife, and Beau Bridges, plays the brothers’ dad. Chris Messina portrays Light in the Attic’s Matt Sullivan. Bill Pohlad, who helmed the Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy, directed the picture.
“This album is unbelievable,” Sullivan tells the Emerson family in the clip. “Truly, it just blew my mind. How did you do it?” The clip then shows the brothers as teens recording the album on their family farm. “You’ve got a gift,” their father tells them in a flashback. “You’ve got to use it. I believe in you, boys.” But later, Donnie accuses Joe of only wanting to have fun with making music while he takes it more seriously.
In the clip, they hint at The New York Times wishing to interview them and how strange that is. In the real-life Times profile that came out in 2012, Donnie expressed similar astonishment at the renewed interest in music he and his brother made as teens. “It’s strange,” he said. “I feel like my life is all upside down.”
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