American Dreamer main backdrop
American Dreamer main poster

American Dreamer

Visit website

5.7/10 • 35

2022-11-041h 46m

Comedy

Hope isn't for everyone.

In this winsome comedy, an entitled Economics professor pursues a tactic to buy an ailing widow’s mansion for nothing, but he quickly realizes that his seemingly foolproof strategy won’t be as easy as he thought.

Directors
Paul Dektor
Editors
Lisa Robison

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Peter Dinklage

    Peter Dinklage

    Phil Loder

  2. Shirley MacLaine

    Shirley MacLaine

    Astrid Fanelli

  3. Kimberly Quinn

    Kimberly Quinn

    Maggie Pennington

  4. Danny Pudi

    Danny Pudi

    Craig

  5. Matt Dillon

    Matt Dillon

    Dell

  6. Danny Glover

    Danny Glover

    Jerry

  7. Michelle Mylett

    Michelle Mylett

    Clare Milano

  8. Peter Kelamis

    Peter Kelamis

    Officer Burt

  9. Rebecca Olson

    Rebecca Olson

    Beatrice/Babette

Reviews1

View Reviews
Brent Marchant Avatar

Brent Marchant

Apr 27, 2024

6/10

Is “the American Dream” still alive and well, or is it a pipe dream whose time has come and gone (and perhaps never really was)? That’s the question rhetorically posed in this modestly entertaining fact-based debut feature comedy from director Paul Dektor, which examines the efforts of an optimistic yet cynical economics professor/would-be novelist (Peter Dinklage) with meager means who repeatedly attempts to buy a home far above his pay grade. He’s discouraged by his frank but somewhat oily real estate broker (Matt Dillon) from continuing in this futile Quixotic pursuit until he finds an offer that seems too good to be true, one proposed by an eccentric wealthy widow (Shirley MacLaine) who’s in the early stages of dementia and is fiercely defended by her daughter (Kim Quinn), an astute lawyer determined to liquidate the deal before she and her heirs get swindled. The result is a comedy of errors with warm, fuzzy edges that makes for an often-sweet and tender comedic romp, despite an occasional overreliance on slapstickish humor to sustain laughs. The script is full of delicious little twists and turns, though sometimes the overall narrative doesn’t hang together quite as well as it could have due to its inconsistent character development and occasionally meandering story flow. However, the film’s fine ensemble cast capably holds this project together, thanks to the fine performances of its principals and the solid work of its supporting players, including Danny Glover, Danny Pudi, Michelle Mylett and Raresh DiMofte. “American Dreamer” is far from epic cinema, but it’s certainly an enjoyable watch and a good first effort from the filmmaker. With some further refinement and more experience behind the camera, here’s hoping we can expect more and better work from this promising first-time director.

Media

  • American Dreamer poster
  • American Dreamer poster
  • American Dreamer poster
  • American Dreamer poster
  • American Dreamer poster
  • American Dreamer poster
  • American Dreamer poster
  • American Dreamer poster

Recommendations

  • Breaking Point main backdrop

    Breaking Point

    5.9

  • I Think We're Alone Now main backdrop

    I Think We're Alone Now

    5.8

  • The Swindle main backdrop

    The Swindle

    6.5

  • The People's Joker main backdrop

    The People's Joker

    6.8

  • American Fighter main backdrop

    American Fighter

    6.1

  • An Easter Bloom main backdrop

    An Easter Bloom

    7.4

  • Turtles All the Way Down main backdrop

    Turtles All the Way Down

    7.6

  • Coup de Chance main backdrop

    Coup de Chance

    6.2

  • Wicked Little Letters main backdrop

    Wicked Little Letters

    7.0

  • Mean Girls main backdrop

    Mean Girls

    6.0

  • Love Lies Bleeding main backdrop

    Love Lies Bleeding

    6.5

  • Kinds of Kindness main backdrop

    Kinds of Kindness

    6.6

  • Robin Hood main backdrop

    Robin Hood

    5.9

  • Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone main backdrop

    Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

    7.9

  • Dune main backdrop

    Dune

    7.8

  • Joker main backdrop

    Joker

    8.1

  • Interstellar main backdrop

    Interstellar

    8.4

  • Knives Out main backdrop

    Knives Out

    7.8

  • Dunkirk main backdrop

    Dunkirk

    7.5

  • 1917 main backdrop

    1917

    8.0

Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
No keywords have been added.