'Dream House' is a real dump

No need to see "Dream House" if you've seen the trailer, in which Daniel Craig, as a well-to-do suburbanite, moves with his wife and daughters into a new house whose previous occupants were murdered. But it turns out he's the mentally deranged suspect, and his current family exists only in his head! So much for the element of surprise.

That's all right -- anyone who's seen "The Sixth Sense" or "Shutter Island" would have figured out "Dream House" in five minutes anyway. It begins with Will Atenton (Craig) quitting his job at a fancy New York publishing firm to spend more time with his children, Trish and Dee Dee (Taylor and Claire Geare), and his wife, Libby (Rachel Weisz), all of whom notably avoid interaction with anyone outside their new house. Will is also working on a novel, though his manuscript is more of a scrapbook, filled with family photographs and children's drawings.

"He's back!" the local teenagers shout upon seeing Will. That makes it pretty boring to watch this character plod from clue to obvious clue until he discovers his real identity. Will faces facts (and helpfully breaks the news to his ghostly family) about halfway through the film, which means -- argh! -- there's another half to go. Screenwriter David Loucka fills it with some crusty ideas from the back of the murder-mystery fridge and tries to moisten it all up with sentimental tears.

Craig works hard at this lazily written role (when all else fails, he removes his shirt), while Weisz isn't asked to do much but look lovely. Naomi Watts, as a kindly neighbor, barely registers. The most surprising thing about "Dream House" is that its director, Jim Sheridan, is the same one who made the Oscar-winning "My Left Foot."