Summary
- Engaging performances drive American Dreamer's cleverly written story.
- Complex relationships between characters add depth and intrigue.
- Pursuit of the American dream leads the protagonist to unexpected outcomes.
The American dream is an ambiguous term with many different meanings for different people, and American Dreamer provides an insight into that dream for one man, Phil Loder. This black comedy is based on a true story, with the events that play out being stranger than fiction. The film is enhanced by the incredible performances of the leading cast, and a cleverly constructed script that sees Loder's career and personal life clashing in dissonant harmony as he strives to chase down his American dream.
Based on a true story, American Dreamer is a comedy-drama film by director Paul Dektor that was released in 2024. When down-on-his-luck economics professor Phil Loder is finally allowed to own a home, he takes the offer from an ailing widow who offers her home. Phil believes the offer seems too good to be true until he realizes it is.
- The cast deliver splendid performances with great dynamics between them
- The writing provides a clever interwoven story
- Phil is frequently unlikable as a protagonist
- Despite being based on a true story, some elements feel forced
Dr. Phil Loder is a struggling college professor, trying to get his life in order. He works at Harvard, but does not have tenure, he has no stable relationships, aside from the imaginary throuple he has imagined for himself, and he feels a longing for a home of his own, but is unwilling to compromise for anything less than a sprawling estate despite his lack of capital to afford such a house. Despite being unlikable, and frequently making bad decisions, Loder finds himself getting his dream home through determination, but everything is not as dreamy as he had hoped.
American Dreamer Is Heartwarming... And Twisted
Peter Dinklage stars as Phil Loder alongside Shirley MacLaine, who plays the woman offering up her home for a vastly discounted price with specific conditions. While the pair begin their relationship at odds, their dynamic blossoms throughout. Despite his name's resemblance to the term freeloader, Phil Loder is the embodiment of a person who works hard to achieve his American dream. He spends every free moment trying to find his dream home, and when an offer that fits with his budget finally comes along, he sells everything he owns and finds a way to make the dream a reality.
The end isn't always what we expect, but sometimes, if we work at it, it's what we need, and that is what American Dreamer reveals in its storytelling.
However, the "dream" loses much of its appeal when Phil discovers his new housemate was less than honest about her circumstances. MacLaine and Dinklage's exchanging of sarcastic and barbed comments is entertaining, and the series of unfortunate events that befalls Loder makes the movie's conclusion all the more satisfying, but there is also a darker side to the story. Loder is alone, his life is unstable, and after achieving his goals, and finding them to be less than what he imagined, he wants to run away. The movie then follows a rollercoaster of events that see him irrevocably changed.
The comedy is subtle, but effective, bolstered by emotional performances from Dinklage and MacLaine as the characters open up to each other. While the story and its moral lesson are overtly presented, the clever weaving together of the narrative, with the framing of Loder's writing and his lessons in economics, all combine to provide a coherent and thought-provoking story. The end isn't always what we expect, but sometimes, if we work at it, it's what we need, and that is what American Dreamer reveals in its storytelling.
The Relationships In American Dreamer Make The Movie Stand Out
While the film inherently tells the story of a lonely man, who moves into a home with an apparently lonely elderly woman, the strength of American Dreamer comes from the relationships between the characters. Phil Loder and Astrid Fanelli may not see eye to eye, but they develop a mutual appreciation and respect for each other. Loder and his real estate agent, Dell (Matt Dillon), actively dislike one another, but their interactions are important for moving the story forward and unveiling Loder's desires and dreams.
The strength of American Dreamer comes from the relationships between the characters.
Likewise, the romantic relationships that Loder develops throughout the movie show his inability to maintain a healthy relationship due to his singular focus on chasing his dreams. As a result, the only persisting relationship he does have comes from his own imagination, and is no doubt a part of the novel he is writing to escape from the harsh realities of life. Loder is not meant to be likable and charming as many leading men in movies are — he is supposed to be real. And Dinklage perfectly captures the flawed and evocative character with his performance.
The movie also serves as a strong directorial debut for Paul Dektor, with beautiful cohesion between the imagery, dialogue, the performances and the overall narrative. While more could have been done to develop Dinklage and MacLaine's characters, or explore the outcome which comes in the film's sudden and succinct conclusion, American Dreamer does a tremendous job of exploring one man's American dream, the lengths he must go to achieve it, and what is waiting for him once he reaches that goal.
American Dreamer will be released in select theaters March 8, 2024.