Film

Follow That Dream

Name: Follow That Dream
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1962
Cast: Elvis Presley, Arthur O'Connell, Anne Helm, Joanna Moore, Jack Kruschen

Comedy
Light-hearted

Elvis plays Toby Kwimper in this cheerful 1962 comedy where a stubborn family decides to homestead on Florida roadside after a run-in with bureaucrats. It's a gentle, quirky film about misfits building their own small society, full of music and good humour. For viewers who like their Elvis movies lightweight and their Americana eccentric.

TMDb rating

3.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like easygoing Sixties musicals where a scruffy family's sly, good-natured mischief counts for more than plot logic, and Elvis's lazy charm is the draw.

Skip it if the plot is thin for a 109-minute comedy, the songs drop in whether or not a scene needs them, and the official antagonist is more cartoon than threat.

What it asks of you: It asks for a relaxed evening: the pace is loose and ambling, jokes land softly, and the whole thing rolls on goodwill rather than tension.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Viva Zapata!1952

Marlon Brando and Anthony Quinn in John Ford's sweeping take on revolution and the corrupting grip of power. Epic, morally complex, visually stunning—the opposite of lightweight but equally invested in ordinary people against the system.

But It's a serious Western that demands your attention. Three hours, no songs, no romance to soften the political edges.

Rustlers' Rhapsody1985

Tom Berenger in a comedy Western that lovingly parodies every cliché of the genre while being genuinely funny about outsiders and misfits. Affectionate, absurd, full of songs and personality.

But It's a parody, so if you hate self-aware humour or prefer your Westerns straight, this will feel exhausting.

The Ballad of Little Jo1993

Suzy Amis as a woman who passes as a man in the Old West, finding freedom and community on her own terms. Quietly radical, beautifully shot, genuinely moving about identity and belonging.

But It's deliberately understated and slow. There's melancholy underneath the beauty.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Follow That Dream

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Tobacco Road1941

Both films centre on families building society outside the rules, but where Follow That Dream is sunny, this shows the real cost of being outside the system. Same engine, opposite register.

John Ford directing a Depression-era story about a poor rural family clinging to their land against economic collapse. Comic, tragic, and genuinely subversive—it takes the dispossessed seriously.

But It's bleak underneath the comedy and deals with grinding poverty without sentimentality. Some found it offensive then; it's still uncomfortable.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?2000

Coen Brothers Depression-era odyssey full of music, con men, and Americana. Hilarious, visually inventive, packed with character and genuine heart beneath the comedy.

But Some find it show-offy. The plot is picaresque—it wanders rather than builds.

Pale Rider1985

Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this moody, mythic Western about a mysterious preacher protecting small miners from corporate greed. Thoughtful, visually elegant, genuinely eerie.

But It's slow and meditative with minimal dialogue. If you need action or clarity, you'll find it frustrating.

Merrily We Roll Along

Fred Astaire and Janet Leigh in an underrated musical about performers and ambition, told backwards. Charming, clever, beautiful to watch, with genuine wit in the writing.

But The backwards structure can feel gimmicky rather than meaningful.

Sergeants 31962

The Rat Pack doing a Western comedy where Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. are cavalry sergeants. Absurd, fast-paced, and genuinely entertaining if you accept the chaos.

But Dated attitudes and the plot is purely an excuse for the leads to goof around together.

Cat Ballou1965

Lee Marvin in a Western comedy that's actually clever about frontier mythology. Jane Fonda is charming, the script is smart, and it works as both comedy and parody.

But Tastes have shifted; some of the comedy feels broad now.

The Egg and I1947

Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray as newlyweds on a Washington chicken farm, clashing with country life. Warm, funny, surprisingly touching about compromise and partnership.

But It's a romantic comedy from 1947. If broad domestic humour isn't your speed, you'll tune out fast.

Umberto D.1952

Both films ask what community means when you've got almost nothing, but where Follow That Dream builds a found family, this watches one man trying to stay afloat alone. The emotional opposite of escapism.

Vittorio De Sica's Italian neorealist masterpiece about an elderly pensioner and his dog trying to survive in post-war Rome. It transforms everyday struggle into profound humanist statement without ever preaching.

But It's slow, quiet, and relentlessly sad. No music, no charm offensive, just dignity and desperation.

Spanglish2004

Both are about makeshift families of people the wider world rejects. Follow That Dream is a fantasy about it; this one knows the real logistics of survival and compromise, yet remains optimistic.

Adam Sandler and Tea Leoni in a warm, funny film about class, language, and belonging in Los Angeles. It's earnest and messy in the best way, genuinely interested in how families blur across borders.

But It's sentimental and uneven. The tone swings wildly and some of it lands better than the rest.