American Dreamer

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As a comedy American Dreamer isn't that great, or I must have a totally different sense of humour. Nevertheless it's not a bad movie. It is pleasant to follow, no real dull moments, a bit more dramatic than humorous, and enjoyable actors. Peter Dinklage is well casted for this role, an always dissatisfied grumpy character, a role that fits him well. I couldn't believe how well Shirley Maclaine still looks at her age. She was pushing ninety in this movie, and honestly I couldn't tell. We can only wish to look that fit when we will hit ninety. I would give American Dreamer a 6.5 if it was possible on here.

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.

'' American Dreamer '' had some material to work with, alas, it failed to do so. The story had some heartwarming vibes when it came to the relationship between the new owner and the old lady. It also had some comedy moments, some black comedy, some leaning more towards the sexual humour, which messed with the mood of the story though. The pace of the story was also messy, thus, it ruined the enjoyament more often than not. The perforamnces were good, though, by everyone in the cast and, especially, the leads. So, overall, three out of ten for '' American Dreamer ''. It had potential but wasted them.

I'm giving this 2 stars, for the "two stars," that's Peter and Shirley. My God I love, love , love Shirley, I'm a big fan, and I love Peter also... what I couldn't love, was this movie. Obviously I was expecting something in the lines of their comedic or dramatic troupes, unfortunately it didn't happen and it was a huge disappointment. The few moments of slapstick comedy were so obviously forced, that made me miss Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers. So I didn't laugh at all. I think the problem nowadays is that everyone is trying too hard, and when it becomes obvious that everything is a copy of something already made (but better), it falls so flat that becomes annoying. Becoming older, and the reality of death is a fact we could face in many ways...in this case, they finished the project as depressing. The only sort of funny line was the one about "past lives", a wink from Shirley, but it stopped there There's no emotions at all. Sorry guys, this was a waste of talent and of my time.

I'm not sure what we are supposed to get from this film. Are we supposed to laugh at Peter Dinklage hurting himself? Are we supposed to feel warm with the ending scene? Unfortunately, this film was lost in its tone and made it unremarkable and uninteresting. Characters are flat without any interesting attributes to them or growth throughout the events that unfold. Scenes feel like they have been written by an underperforming novelist who can't figure out how to connect them. The women in this film are one dimensional and seem to only care about sleeping with Dinklage's character, who is a complete fool and drunken slob. A touching moment Dinklage and MacLaine's characters share seems to come out of nowhere, as these characters barely speak to each other about anything true or meaningful. This film was really disappointing and although Dinklage's and MacLaine's performances were great, they could not save this film's life.