Owning a house — it’s no longer the American Dream; it’s just ‘the dream.’ Which makes American Dreamer a highly relatable film event with its title.
Peter Dinklage plays Phil, a professor at a University, though not a permanent one, who refuses to give up on his dreams of owning a big home and having the life he literally daydreams over. An early scene in the film even shows Phil leaving work for the day and stopping in front of a massive house just to daydream about living there and having an attractive wife to come home to. But unlike most of us who may accept our dreams can’t always become a reality, or at least attempt to meet in the middle of reality and keep your heart desires open, Phil seems to have taken a ‘this is bullshit, it’s not happening, and I refuse to accept any other reality’ approach to things.
One day, Phil spots an ad that a normal man would read as being too good to be true and instead jumps on it with help from a local real estate agent, played by Matt Dillon, who appears to be having a lot of fun. The deal of the century will have Phil paying $250k up front, requiring him to sell everything he owns, withdraw his 401K early, and then live in the smaller side area of a massive home he’ll inherit once the owner dies. And, of course, it is true good to be true.
The homeowner, Astrid, is played by Shirley MacLane, who is a joy to watch on screen. But for Phil, Astrid isn’t what he thought to be. She’s not decrepit and knocking on death’s door without any family to fight him for their right to the home. Instead, she’s healthy and has at least several children. One of these is Maggie (Kimberly Quinn), who threatens Phil’s right to the home the first day they meet.
The movie heads are slightly predictable, but it’s a very topical film with housing, or lack thereof, in affordable quantities, being a massive topic of discussion around not only America but also Australia. The dream of being able to afford a home has become the dream of renting a home. In that regard, I think many people would relate to Phil; however, his refusal to come down from wanting to own some mansion is undeniably ridiculous. If I had a friend who committed to a dream so far beyond their reach that it’s further than the horizon and impacting their life, I’d have to give them a good sit-down chat. However, Phil doesn’t appear to have any friends, which can lead to some of the film’s other mixed parts.
Phil’s relationship with the other characters in the film and their presence is a mixed bag. Dinklage and MacLaine don’t get nearly enough moments together; the introduction of a Private Investigator played by Danny Glover and a lover in Michelle Mylett’s characters just distract from more interesting ways to spend the film’s sharp 98 minutes. There’s also an odd bouncing between a Black Comedy here and something more physical and silly, with several gags of Phil hurting himself and the introduction of two odd police officers. Tonally, the film struggles to find its voice.
(Screener provided to Explosion Network.
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