Have Dreams, Will Travel
Encyclopedia
Have Dreams, Will Travel (recently changed to "West Texas Lullaby") is a drama film
set in the 1960s written and directed by Brad Isaacs, starring Cayden Boyd
, AnnaSophia Robb
, Lara Flynn Boyle
, Dylan McDermott
, Heather Graham, Val Kilmer
, and Matthew Modine
.
) lives with neglectful parents in 1960s west Texas
: a mother (Lara Flynn Boyle
) who is, as Ben states, "psychotically obsessed with movie stars to a point that defies explanation" and a father (Matthew Modine
) who is overly obsessed with his boat. Ben explains how his father meets his mother under vulnerable circumstances and describes how his "folks never should have married, and they definitely should have never had a kid." "But they did, it happens. The randomness of life and all that." Ben goes on explaining how things got worse and worse due to his parents obsessions, his mother hiring handymen that resembled attractive movie stars to fix problems his father could have fixed but didn't because he was concentrating on constructing his boat.
One stormy night, there is a serious car wreck outside of the Reynolds' diner. Patrons assist in aiding the passengers but find only a single survivor, a young girl about Ben's age. Ben's parents agree to take in this girl, Cassie Kennington (AnnaSophia Robb
), as she recuperates from her injuries and until she can be moved into her grandparents' home in Galveston
. The first real glimpse at Cass is when Ben brings her a well prepared dinner meal, that she declines after making a snide remark about having a partially lacerated liver. As Ben begins to leave the room, Cass quickly asks if her parents' bodies were already sent back to Amarillo
for burial and how the accident was listed on the official police report. Ben responds with an awkward, "I'm not really sure." Cass tries to imply that it was her father's tendencies to drive while intoxicated and speeding that caused the accident.
The next night we find Cass abruptly awakened from a brief flashback of something she appears to be hiding. Ben is seated at the foot of her bed looking concerned and says, "you were screaming." Cass takes a sip of water and only replies that it's late and he should get back to sleep. A few hours later Cass is seated in Ben's room staring blankly at him sleeping. As he awakes to the dawn of morning and notices her, he quietly yells, "Jesus!" She goes on to ask him if he likes her or just feels sorry for her situation. Ben agrees that he likes her. Cass begins to explain why there is little reason to remain there and encourages him to run away with her and live with her "hip" aunt (Heather Graham) and uncle (Dylan McDermott
), who live in Baltimore.
Making their way down the road, Cass explains the importance of having a plan and not just some "pipe dream." After Cassie's highly intellectual explanation of what a pipe dream is, he asks, "What part of your brain works so hard at and makes you think and talk like that?" Cass informs him that her father was a professor with a very wide vocabulary and lots of unique ideas; that when he wasn't teaching college he "taught her" and her mother "never did anything". [about it] Their first stop is at a pig farm run by an also maritally distraught Henderson (Val Kilmer
), who approaches them hiding in his hog house. Henderson explains that his wife saw them come in from across the road and tosses Cass and Ben some sandwiches his wife made for them. Henderson welcomes them to stay and responds to Cassie's question of how much is room, board, and water with, "I imagine falling to sleep to the smell of pig shit outta do it." Ben later explains that his plan for life is to become a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals
. The two appear to stick around for at least a few days. We don't find out Cassie's full plan but one night, as they hear Henderson and his wife arguing, she tells Ben that them getting married is "a major part of the plan." That same night Cass has another nightmarish flashback involving the car accident that gives us a little more depth to her secret. The next day, Henderson performs what imitates a wedding ceremony for the two.
They both get back on the road, but when they stop for a break, a police car pulls up. The officers (Stephen Root
and Toby Huss) question the two for being alone but Cass quickly creates a story. "We're in that green station wagon next to the pissers." Cass goes on to reiterate that their father had a recent bladder transplant and it's been "more like a medical convention than a vacation." As Sheriff Brock (Root) is skeptical but nearly convinced, the station wagon pulls out of the parking lot. It seems that Ben and Cass would spend the night in jail when Cass fakes a seizure in her cell. Deputy Raymond Ward (Huss), designated to guard the two, believes it and unwittingly lets Ben out of his cell to assist her. As he prepares to help Ward prevent Cass from choking on her tongue, Ben pushes Ward over giving them enough time to escape and lock the jail cell door behind them.
As they take their next break, Ben makes a short argument and questions Cass about her brash attitude. A bus full of hippies pulls up and a man walks up asking for directions to Memphis
. Ben and Cass are promised a lift in exchange for Cassie's navigation abilities. However, they're only taken as far as Kentucky
because Ben becomes jealous with this guy who gets very social-able with Cass and "just lives his life and everything seems to work out." After being dropped off at a farm, Cassie becomes somewhat hostile and begins nagging Ben about how it "would be way too comfortable for me and my banged up body to be in a nice warm bus headed exactly where we want to be goin'." Ben's defense is, "we're married you know. That's suppose to count for something."
In Virginia
, Cassie's arm begins to swell. After looking at it, Ben realizes it seems serious and calls a doctor. Seeing as they are two lone children coming to him for medical assistance during the night, they are questioned about where they're from and who their parents are. Cass, once again, attempts to create an elaborate story involving their father being laid off at a local mill and money being tight. Just as before, Cassie's story unfortunately fails. Before they contact the local sheriff, Ben quickly makes up another story about their mother being arrested for armed robbery in Arizona
. Cassie is treated and both are back on their way.
The next hitchhike engages them with a very kind and talkative African-American couple. The story Ben and Cass provide this time is he is front runner for both "Mr. Teen Maryland" and "Mr. Teen America." He tells his own tale, where Ripley's Believe It or Not is coming to interview his cousin (Cass) for attempting to walk across Kentucky on her hands but being trampled by cattle before nearly making it. Ben tells the couple, that's how she got hurt.
They successfully make it to Baltimore, where Cassie's aunt and uncle welcome the two into their home. While initially over-enjoyed by finally reaching their destination, Cass becomes more distant and irritable with everyone. More and more actions begin to trigger these terrible feelings and memories to resurface with more frequent nightmares. Cass than has another horrific flashback that provides another portion of her dark repressed memory.
We see Ben getting along with Cassie's aunt and uncle while Cass sits in the corner, alone, and with a look of hollowness and distance. In a later scene, Cassie's uncle decides to try to finally get her involved with the activities. Cass begins dancing with her uncle when he, as a dance move, lifts her up for a moment and he is shocked when Cassie crashes to the floor after struggling from his arms while screaming. She curls up, hides her face, and begins to cry. Her uncle, aunt, and Ben all gather around Cass with looks of fear and confusion.
Cassie's recent emotional resurfacing strengthens the belief of psychological trauma. After eventually falling asleep and being taken to bed, Ben awakes to find Cass is missing. He begins to cautiously search the home and finds her staring at him, with a now completely blank look, as she stands with the wind blowing lightly through her hair and gown while standing on the balcony. She is taken to the Mercy Psychiatric Ward in Virginia. There are no words spoken between them as Cass gives Ben a very emotional good-bye hug and is then taken to her room. Ben is sent to a military academy in North Carolina
. After hoping Cass will get better, he is informed that she will be sentenced to a high risk observation ward for no less than 18 months.
Ben decides to run away from the academy and ultimately go save Cass before its too late. He ends up finding a ride with a businessman (Ethan Phillips
), all the way back to Virginia. They talk briefly about families. Ben openly mentions his plan to break his wife out of a psychiatric ward, which has the businessman question if maybe Ben was the one staying at the hospital. Ben produces a plan to sneak into the hospital after hours by quietly catching the door before it closes after an employee leaves for the evening. Ben makes his way to Cassie's room, only to find her eerily calm and quiet. He walks up and sits softly next to her. He tells Cass that he's come to get her out. She seems reluctant and responds, "what if I'm really, really tired?" Cass then leans over, kisses him lightly on the cheek, and lays her head on his shoulder. The next scene is a flashback and full disclosure of Cassie's destructive secret.
It's a stormy night out and the Kennington's are heading hastily down a country road. Cass is seated in the front passenger seat, with her father driving, and her mother sitting in the middle rear seat. Cass is seen placing a pillow to cover up her crossed legs, seemingly to protect herself from her father. Her father then removes the pillow, and begins to rub her leg with his fingers. She soon fights back, screaming, and causes the car to swerve and then crash.
After the flashback, we're brought back to Cass and Ben in the hospital. Ben tells her that she "took it as as long as you could. You can't blame yourself for that." He pushes her hair back to try to comfort her, and she replies sorrowfully with, "there are good parts to them to." Ben repeats that its time to leave. Cassie's guilt holds high and she tells him, "I'm sick. When you kill two people, it makes you sick." He tells her again that he is taking her out of there and assures her that they'll worry about everything else later. She agrees and they escape.
Ben narrates that before he and Cass could start their lives together, he must resolve some things for himself first. Ben is seen burning down his mother's only movie theater and crashing his father's boat. It looks like an act of anger only at first. In fact, he has made them free from their own distractions that kept them from the truth. Now when they had lost what they thought was their only meaning of life, they look ruined, but they are free. As Ben's parents grieve for their lost things, Ben and Cass watch from the top of a nearby pickup truck, arms around each other.
The movie then progresses to Ben and Cassie's lives as they get older, with Ben's child voice still narrating. When they are adults, Cass becomes an editor for children books and Ben becomes the youngest pitcher
in Major League Baseball
to pitch in the World Series
. After his arm gives out, he becomes a writer as Cass planned. They eventually have two kids, whose names are unknown. We see, a now elderly, Ben and Cass walking along the beach holding hands. He continues to narrate the lessons he learned in life. "Having the chance to give what you never got." "Most people need a plan. Life is crazy enough without one." Ben is now walking down the beach all alone. Narration continues, "The hardest part of life is losing someone you love. At first, you almost wish you never knew them, so it would stop hurting so much. It feels like it's going to kill you." Now showing earlier scenes when Ben first met Cass and of their journey. "What you end up missing the most is the sweet burden of being needed. It gives your life a purpose. It really does. And it makes you feel great." "That's something else Cassie taught me. It's all part of the plan."
in France
. On October 19, 2007, it played at the Rome Film Festival.
It was released in Brazil
on DVD
on February, 2008 as "Em Busca da Felicidade" (In Search of Happiness).
Have Dreams, Will Travel was only released on DVD in Brazil and was poorly promoted in the rest of the world, due to a lack of funding.
, vocals by Lissie
, and is uncredited.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
set in the 1960s written and directed by Brad Isaacs, starring Cayden Boyd
Cayden Boyd
Cayden Michael Boyd is an American teen actor. He is best known for his main character role as Max in the Robert Rodriguez's film The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D.-Life:...
, AnnaSophia Robb
AnnaSophia Robb
AnnaSophia Robb is an American film and television actress. She gained prominence in 2005 with starring roles in Because of Winn-Dixie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and starred in Bridge to Terabithia , Race to Witch Mountain , and Soul Surfer .-Personal life:Robb was born in Denver,...
, Lara Flynn Boyle
Lara Flynn Boyle
Lara Flynn Boyle is an American film and television actress best known for her performances as Laura Palmer's best friend Donna Hayward in Twin Peaks and Assistant District Attorney Helen Gamble in The Practice...
, Dylan McDermott
Dylan McDermott
Mark Anthony McDermott , better known by his professional name of Dylan McDermott, is an American actor, known for his role as lawyer and law firm head Bobby Donnell on the television legal drama The Practice and his role in the series Dark Blue as Lt. Carter Shaw. McDermott currently stars in FX...
, Heather Graham, Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
, and Matthew Modine
Matthew Modine
Matthew Avery Modine is an award-winning American actor. His film roles include Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, the title character in Alan Parker's Birdy, high school wrestler Louden Swain in Vision Quest, football star turned spy Alec McCall in Funky Monkey and the...
.
Plot
Narrator Benjamin Reynolds (Cayden BoydCayden Boyd
Cayden Michael Boyd is an American teen actor. He is best known for his main character role as Max in the Robert Rodriguez's film The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D.-Life:...
) lives with neglectful parents in 1960s west Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
: a mother (Lara Flynn Boyle
Lara Flynn Boyle
Lara Flynn Boyle is an American film and television actress best known for her performances as Laura Palmer's best friend Donna Hayward in Twin Peaks and Assistant District Attorney Helen Gamble in The Practice...
) who is, as Ben states, "psychotically obsessed with movie stars to a point that defies explanation" and a father (Matthew Modine
Matthew Modine
Matthew Avery Modine is an award-winning American actor. His film roles include Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, the title character in Alan Parker's Birdy, high school wrestler Louden Swain in Vision Quest, football star turned spy Alec McCall in Funky Monkey and the...
) who is overly obsessed with his boat. Ben explains how his father meets his mother under vulnerable circumstances and describes how his "folks never should have married, and they definitely should have never had a kid." "But they did, it happens. The randomness of life and all that." Ben goes on explaining how things got worse and worse due to his parents obsessions, his mother hiring handymen that resembled attractive movie stars to fix problems his father could have fixed but didn't because he was concentrating on constructing his boat.
One stormy night, there is a serious car wreck outside of the Reynolds' diner. Patrons assist in aiding the passengers but find only a single survivor, a young girl about Ben's age. Ben's parents agree to take in this girl, Cassie Kennington (AnnaSophia Robb
AnnaSophia Robb
AnnaSophia Robb is an American film and television actress. She gained prominence in 2005 with starring roles in Because of Winn-Dixie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and starred in Bridge to Terabithia , Race to Witch Mountain , and Soul Surfer .-Personal life:Robb was born in Denver,...
), as she recuperates from her injuries and until she can be moved into her grandparents' home in Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
. The first real glimpse at Cass is when Ben brings her a well prepared dinner meal, that she declines after making a snide remark about having a partially lacerated liver. As Ben begins to leave the room, Cass quickly asks if her parents' bodies were already sent back to Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
for burial and how the accident was listed on the official police report. Ben responds with an awkward, "I'm not really sure." Cass tries to imply that it was her father's tendencies to drive while intoxicated and speeding that caused the accident.
The next night we find Cass abruptly awakened from a brief flashback of something she appears to be hiding. Ben is seated at the foot of her bed looking concerned and says, "you were screaming." Cass takes a sip of water and only replies that it's late and he should get back to sleep. A few hours later Cass is seated in Ben's room staring blankly at him sleeping. As he awakes to the dawn of morning and notices her, he quietly yells, "Jesus!" She goes on to ask him if he likes her or just feels sorry for her situation. Ben agrees that he likes her. Cass begins to explain why there is little reason to remain there and encourages him to run away with her and live with her "hip" aunt (Heather Graham) and uncle (Dylan McDermott
Dylan McDermott
Mark Anthony McDermott , better known by his professional name of Dylan McDermott, is an American actor, known for his role as lawyer and law firm head Bobby Donnell on the television legal drama The Practice and his role in the series Dark Blue as Lt. Carter Shaw. McDermott currently stars in FX...
), who live in Baltimore.
Making their way down the road, Cass explains the importance of having a plan and not just some "pipe dream." After Cassie's highly intellectual explanation of what a pipe dream is, he asks, "What part of your brain works so hard at and makes you think and talk like that?" Cass informs him that her father was a professor with a very wide vocabulary and lots of unique ideas; that when he wasn't teaching college he "taught her" and her mother "never did anything". [about it] Their first stop is at a pig farm run by an also maritally distraught Henderson (Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
), who approaches them hiding in his hog house. Henderson explains that his wife saw them come in from across the road and tosses Cass and Ben some sandwiches his wife made for them. Henderson welcomes them to stay and responds to Cassie's question of how much is room, board, and water with, "I imagine falling to sleep to the smell of pig shit outta do it." Ben later explains that his plan for life is to become a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
. The two appear to stick around for at least a few days. We don't find out Cassie's full plan but one night, as they hear Henderson and his wife arguing, she tells Ben that them getting married is "a major part of the plan." That same night Cass has another nightmarish flashback involving the car accident that gives us a little more depth to her secret. The next day, Henderson performs what imitates a wedding ceremony for the two.
They both get back on the road, but when they stop for a break, a police car pulls up. The officers (Stephen Root
Stephen Root
Stephen Root is an American actor. He is best known for his comedic work on the TV sitcom NewsRadio, in the film Office Space and as the voice of Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland in the animated series King of the Hill...
and Toby Huss) question the two for being alone but Cass quickly creates a story. "We're in that green station wagon next to the pissers." Cass goes on to reiterate that their father had a recent bladder transplant and it's been "more like a medical convention than a vacation." As Sheriff Brock (Root) is skeptical but nearly convinced, the station wagon pulls out of the parking lot. It seems that Ben and Cass would spend the night in jail when Cass fakes a seizure in her cell. Deputy Raymond Ward (Huss), designated to guard the two, believes it and unwittingly lets Ben out of his cell to assist her. As he prepares to help Ward prevent Cass from choking on her tongue, Ben pushes Ward over giving them enough time to escape and lock the jail cell door behind them.
As they take their next break, Ben makes a short argument and questions Cass about her brash attitude. A bus full of hippies pulls up and a man walks up asking for directions to Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. Ben and Cass are promised a lift in exchange for Cassie's navigation abilities. However, they're only taken as far as Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
because Ben becomes jealous with this guy who gets very social-able with Cass and "just lives his life and everything seems to work out." After being dropped off at a farm, Cassie becomes somewhat hostile and begins nagging Ben about how it "would be way too comfortable for me and my banged up body to be in a nice warm bus headed exactly where we want to be goin'." Ben's defense is, "we're married you know. That's suppose to count for something."
In Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Cassie's arm begins to swell. After looking at it, Ben realizes it seems serious and calls a doctor. Seeing as they are two lone children coming to him for medical assistance during the night, they are questioned about where they're from and who their parents are. Cass, once again, attempts to create an elaborate story involving their father being laid off at a local mill and money being tight. Just as before, Cassie's story unfortunately fails. Before they contact the local sheriff, Ben quickly makes up another story about their mother being arrested for armed robbery in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. Cassie is treated and both are back on their way.
The next hitchhike engages them with a very kind and talkative African-American couple. The story Ben and Cass provide this time is he is front runner for both "Mr. Teen Maryland" and "Mr. Teen America." He tells his own tale, where Ripley's Believe It or Not is coming to interview his cousin (Cass) for attempting to walk across Kentucky on her hands but being trampled by cattle before nearly making it. Ben tells the couple, that's how she got hurt.
They successfully make it to Baltimore, where Cassie's aunt and uncle welcome the two into their home. While initially over-enjoyed by finally reaching their destination, Cass becomes more distant and irritable with everyone. More and more actions begin to trigger these terrible feelings and memories to resurface with more frequent nightmares. Cass than has another horrific flashback that provides another portion of her dark repressed memory.
We see Ben getting along with Cassie's aunt and uncle while Cass sits in the corner, alone, and with a look of hollowness and distance. In a later scene, Cassie's uncle decides to try to finally get her involved with the activities. Cass begins dancing with her uncle when he, as a dance move, lifts her up for a moment and he is shocked when Cassie crashes to the floor after struggling from his arms while screaming. She curls up, hides her face, and begins to cry. Her uncle, aunt, and Ben all gather around Cass with looks of fear and confusion.
Cassie's recent emotional resurfacing strengthens the belief of psychological trauma. After eventually falling asleep and being taken to bed, Ben awakes to find Cass is missing. He begins to cautiously search the home and finds her staring at him, with a now completely blank look, as she stands with the wind blowing lightly through her hair and gown while standing on the balcony. She is taken to the Mercy Psychiatric Ward in Virginia. There are no words spoken between them as Cass gives Ben a very emotional good-bye hug and is then taken to her room. Ben is sent to a military academy in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. After hoping Cass will get better, he is informed that she will be sentenced to a high risk observation ward for no less than 18 months.
Ben decides to run away from the academy and ultimately go save Cass before its too late. He ends up finding a ride with a businessman (Ethan Phillips
Ethan Phillips
Ethan Phillips is an American actor, playwright and author. He is known for television roles such as Star Trek: Voyager's Neelix and Benson's Pete Downey.-Personal life:...
), all the way back to Virginia. They talk briefly about families. Ben openly mentions his plan to break his wife out of a psychiatric ward, which has the businessman question if maybe Ben was the one staying at the hospital. Ben produces a plan to sneak into the hospital after hours by quietly catching the door before it closes after an employee leaves for the evening. Ben makes his way to Cassie's room, only to find her eerily calm and quiet. He walks up and sits softly next to her. He tells Cass that he's come to get her out. She seems reluctant and responds, "what if I'm really, really tired?" Cass then leans over, kisses him lightly on the cheek, and lays her head on his shoulder. The next scene is a flashback and full disclosure of Cassie's destructive secret.
It's a stormy night out and the Kennington's are heading hastily down a country road. Cass is seated in the front passenger seat, with her father driving, and her mother sitting in the middle rear seat. Cass is seen placing a pillow to cover up her crossed legs, seemingly to protect herself from her father. Her father then removes the pillow, and begins to rub her leg with his fingers. She soon fights back, screaming, and causes the car to swerve and then crash.
After the flashback, we're brought back to Cass and Ben in the hospital. Ben tells her that she "took it as as long as you could. You can't blame yourself for that." He pushes her hair back to try to comfort her, and she replies sorrowfully with, "there are good parts to them to." Ben repeats that its time to leave. Cassie's guilt holds high and she tells him, "I'm sick. When you kill two people, it makes you sick." He tells her again that he is taking her out of there and assures her that they'll worry about everything else later. She agrees and they escape.
Ben narrates that before he and Cass could start their lives together, he must resolve some things for himself first. Ben is seen burning down his mother's only movie theater and crashing his father's boat. It looks like an act of anger only at first. In fact, he has made them free from their own distractions that kept them from the truth. Now when they had lost what they thought was their only meaning of life, they look ruined, but they are free. As Ben's parents grieve for their lost things, Ben and Cass watch from the top of a nearby pickup truck, arms around each other.
The movie then progresses to Ben and Cassie's lives as they get older, with Ben's child voice still narrating. When they are adults, Cass becomes an editor for children books and Ben becomes the youngest pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
to pitch in the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
. After his arm gives out, he becomes a writer as Cass planned. They eventually have two kids, whose names are unknown. We see, a now elderly, Ben and Cass walking along the beach holding hands. He continues to narrate the lessons he learned in life. "Having the chance to give what you never got." "Most people need a plan. Life is crazy enough without one." Ben is now walking down the beach all alone. Narration continues, "The hardest part of life is losing someone you love. At first, you almost wish you never knew them, so it would stop hurting so much. It feels like it's going to kill you." Now showing earlier scenes when Ben first met Cass and of their journey. "What you end up missing the most is the sweet burden of being needed. It gives your life a purpose. It really does. And it makes you feel great." "That's something else Cassie taught me. It's all part of the plan."
Cast
- Cayden BoydCayden BoydCayden Michael Boyd is an American teen actor. He is best known for his main character role as Max in the Robert Rodriguez's film The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D.-Life:...
as Benjamin "Ben" Reynolds - AnnaSophia RobbAnnaSophia RobbAnnaSophia Robb is an American film and television actress. She gained prominence in 2005 with starring roles in Because of Winn-Dixie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and starred in Bridge to Terabithia , Race to Witch Mountain , and Soul Surfer .-Personal life:Robb was born in Denver,...
as Cassie "Cass" Kennington - Lara Flynn BoyleLara Flynn BoyleLara Flynn Boyle is an American film and television actress best known for her performances as Laura Palmer's best friend Donna Hayward in Twin Peaks and Assistant District Attorney Helen Gamble in The Practice...
as Mrs. Reynolds - Matthew ModineMatthew ModineMatthew Avery Modine is an award-winning American actor. His film roles include Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, the title character in Alan Parker's Birdy, high school wrestler Louden Swain in Vision Quest, football star turned spy Alec McCall in Funky Monkey and the...
as Mr. Reynolds - Mary Evans as Mrs. Kennington
- William Lawrence Allen as Mr. Kennington
- Heather Graham as Cassie's aunt
- Dylan McDermottDylan McDermottMark Anthony McDermott , better known by his professional name of Dylan McDermott, is an American actor, known for his role as lawyer and law firm head Bobby Donnell on the television legal drama The Practice and his role in the series Dark Blue as Lt. Carter Shaw. McDermott currently stars in FX...
as Cassie's uncle - Val KilmerVal KilmerVal Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
as Henderson - Ramsey Scott as Henderson's wife
- Stephen RootStephen RootStephen Root is an American actor. He is best known for his comedic work on the TV sitcom NewsRadio, in the film Office Space and as the voice of Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland in the animated series King of the Hill...
as Sheriff Brock - Toby Huss as Deputy Raymond Ward
- Ethan PhillipsEthan PhillipsEthan Phillips is an American actor, playwright and author. He is known for television roles such as Star Trek: Voyager's Neelix and Benson's Pete Downey.-Personal life:...
as Businessman - Johnny Cotugno as Plumber
- Jeff Griffin as Roofer
- Candace Campfield as Accountant
- Nathanael Meyr as Milkman
Release
Have Dreams, Will Travel premiered on May 21, 2007 at the Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. On October 19, 2007, it played at the Rome Film Festival.
It was released in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on February, 2008 as "Em Busca da Felicidade" (In Search of Happiness).
Have Dreams, Will Travel was only released on DVD in Brazil and was poorly promoted in the rest of the world, due to a lack of funding.
Music
The main theme in this movie is a song called "Dream It Out Loud" scored by Glen BallardGlen Ballard
Glen Ballard is an American songwriter and record producer, best known for co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill , which won Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album", and "Album of the Year" amongst others, and is ranked by the Rolling Stone amongst The 500 Greatest Albums of...
, vocals by Lissie
Lissie
Elisabeth Maurus , known by her stage name Lissie, is an American folk rock artist and Paste Magazine's #1 best new solo artist of 2010. She released her debut EP, "Why You Runnin'", in November 2009. Her debut album, Catching a Tiger, was released in June 2010.-Early life and career:Lissie was...
, and is uncredited.
Filming locations
- Albuquerque
- Los Lunas
- BelenBelen, New MexicoBelen is a city in Valencia County, New Mexico, United States. Belen is Spanish for Bethlehem, and over time has gained the nickname "Hub City" because of the Belen Cutoff of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The Cutoff made it possible for many more trains to travel east and west across...
- "BrownsvilleBrownsville, OregonBrownsville is a city in Linn County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 1,668. It is the setting for the fictional Castle Rock, Oregon in the film Stand by Me.-History:...
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