History Film / ElectricDreams

''Electric Dreams'' is a 1984 RomanticComedy (hovering about halfway between ScienceFiction and {{Fantasy}}) directed by Steve Barron, and starring Creator/LennyVonDohlen, Creator/VirginiaMadsen, Creator/MaxwellCaulfield, and Creator/BudCort as the voice of Edgar; the score, by Music/GiorgioMoroder, incorporated songs by popular artists of the era such as PP Arnold, Culture Club, Heaven 17, [[Music/ElectricLightOrchestra Jeff Lynne]], and Phil Oakey (of Music/TheHumanLeague), which found their way onto an album that proved substantially more popular than the film itself -- particularly the concluding song, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9foZ7KVSng Together in Electric Dreams]]," [[BreakawayPopHit which became a world-wide hit for Oakey.]]

''Electric Dreams'' is a 1984 RomanticComedy (hovering about halfway between ScienceFiction and {{Fantasy}}) directed by Steve Barron, and starring Creator/LennyVonDohlen, Creator/VirginiaMadsen, Maxwell Caulfield, and Bud Cort as the voice of Edgar; the score, by Music/GiorgioMoroder, incorporated songs by popular artists of the era such as PP Arnold, Culture Club, Heaven 17, [[Music/ElectricLightOrchestra Jeff Lynne]], and Phil Oakey (of Music/TheHumanLeague), which found their way onto an album that proved substantially more popular than the film itself -- particularly the concluding song, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9foZ7KVSng Together in Electric Dreams]]," [[BreakawayPopHit which became a world-wide hit for Oakey.]]

* IPhony: Edgar is a "Pinecone" computer who just happens to resemble the original [=MacIntosh=].

Miles Harding (Lenny von Dohlen), an architect working for a large firm in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco, having problems arriving at work on time, buys a computer to arrange his schedule and help him design his "earthquake brick" that will hold buildings together in seismic upheavals. Just moving in to his building is pretty cellist Madeline Robistat (Virginia Madsen), to whom Miles is intensely attracted. In order to facilitate work on his brick, Miles decides to patch his computer into his firm's immensely powerful super-computer; accidentally spilling champagne onto his motherboard, he is astounded when this produces a sentient computer.[[note]]This was before Wiki/TVTropes was on the Internet.[[/note]] While he is at work, the computer (Bud Cort), hearing Madeline practicing a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqSAGwa49MM Bach minuet,]] engages her in a [[DuetBonding musical duel]] -- she, naturally, attributes the music to Miles. When Miles realizes this, he decides to use the computer to [[PlayingCyrano woo Madeline for him]] -- with phenomenal ill-success, at first, as the computer cannot understand what Love is -- until Miles reminds it of how it felt when listening to Madeline's music. Unfortunately, this causes the computer to fall in love with her [[strike:himself]] itself, and thus begins an escalating rivalry between man and machine for a woman's heart...

''Electric Dreams'' is a 1984 RomanticComedy (hovering about halfway between ScienceFiction and {{Fantasy}}) directed by Steve Barron, and starring Lenny von Dohlen, Creator/VirginiaMadsen, Maxwell Caulfield, and Bud Cort as the voice of Edgar; the score, by Music/GiorgioMoroder, incorporated songs by popular artists of the era such as PP Arnold, Culture Club, Heaven 17, [[Music/ElectricLightOrchestra Jeff Lynne]], and Phil Oakey (of Music/TheHumanLeague), which found their way onto an album that proved substantially more popular than the film itself -- particularly the concluding song, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9foZ7KVSng Together in Electric Dreams]]," [[BreakawayPopHit which became a world-wide hit for Oakey.]]

* RomanticFalseLead: Bill. (1984 was a bad year for male cellists wooing their female counterparts; the same year Dana Barrett was stolen from one by [[Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}} Dr. Peter Venkman]].)

As mentioned above, the film was only a moderate success at the box office. Some critics found it generally disjointed and unbelievable, and disliked the obviously music-video influenced cinematic style. Others found it quirkily charming, recognizing particularly the "chemistry" of the cast, and recommended it as an ideal date movie. Lately, it has been gaining ground among children of TheEighties as a typical film of the era and a vehicle for nostalgia.

* {{Adorkable}}: [[strike: Moles]] Miles

* TheEighties: {{Adorkable}} hero with dark hair and thick eyebrows? Check. Sensible yet sensitive cello-playing heroine? Check. Quirky best friend who steps aside for the hero? Check. Handsome blond JerkAss who lets the heroine down? Check. Massive amounts of synthpop music? Check, check, check!

** When Miles wishes Edgar, "Sweet dreams," Edgar queries, "What's a dream?" -- to which Miles sleepily replies, "A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you're fast asleep... Creator/WaltDisney, ''Disney/SleepingBeauty'', 1950,." Edgar replies, after a quick click sound (probably of him researching), "No, it was ''Disney/{{Cinderella}}'', 1949."

** Other {{Shout Out}}s are more associated with the song "Together in Electric Dreams" than with the film itself:
*** It is played on the fictional radio station "Flash FM" in the VideoGame ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCityStories''.
*** It is the theme to the BBC show ''[[NamesTheSame Electric Dreams]]'' (2009), in which a family has to live in manner of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
*** It was covered in 2001 by Lali Puna for the album ''Reproductions: Songs of The Human League''.
*** It was covered by Swedish Indie pop band "Nixon" on the album ''Only Ugly People Smoke''.
*** It was covered by 5 separate artists on an eponymous 2007 album.
*** It was covered in an acoustic version by Darren Hanlon as part of Australian JJJ Radio's "Like A Version" program in 2010.

* TheEighties: {{Adorkable}} hero with dark hair and thick eyebrows? Check. Sensible yet sensitive cello-playing heroine? Check. Quirky best friend who steps aside for the hero? Check. Handsome blond JerkAss who lets the heroine down? Check. Massive amounts of techno music? Check, check, check!

''Electric Dreams'' is a 1984 RomanticComedy (hovering about halfway between ScienceFiction and {{Fantasy}}) directed by Steve Barron, and starring Lenny von Dohlen, Creator/VirginiaMadsen, Maxwell Caulfield, and Bud Cort as the voice of Edgar; the score, by Music/GiorgioMoroder, incorporated songs by popular artists of the era such as PP Arnold, Culture Club, Heaven 17, [[ElectricLightOrchestra Jeff Lynne]], and Phil Oakey (of Music/TheHumanLeague), which found their way onto an album that proved substantially more popular than the film itself -- particularly the concluding song, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9foZ7KVSng Together in Electric Dreams]]," [[BreakawayPopHit which became a world-wide hit for Oakey.]]

** That munching yellow box ... creature is a LawyerFriendlyCameo by ''PacMan''.

* AccidentalMisnaming: As a result of Miles' having mistyped his name, Edgar refers to him as "Moles" throughout most of the movie.