Have you ever been in a house where the furniture is all mix-match, every room is a different color, and the feng-shui is just completely off, yet somehow it still feels a little homey? It’s like the home is aesthetically and stylistically at odds with itself, yet deep in your soul, there’s a sense of chaotic cohesion that somehow makes it all work. Well, this would be my summation of the tone and vibe emanating from the new Peter Dinklage and Shirley MacLaine dramedy American Dreamer.
The directorial debut of Paul Dektor, this film follows cultural economics professor Phil (Peter Dinklage), your stereotypical grumpy older scholar archetype, who just wants to be a homeowner, possibly one of the most relatable struggles for anyone in 2025. After failing to find anything affordable with the help of his “friend”/realtor Dell (Matt Dillon), he stumbles upon a once-in-a-lifetime deal for a wonderful mansion by the lake. The catch, instead of paying for the house upfront, Phil can pay a small portion for a “Live In” situation, in which he would be allowed to stay in a separate part of the home until the elderly owner of the property Astrid (Shirley MacLaine) passes away. Believing that the landlord will more than likely pass sooner than later, Phil sells most of his possessions, cashes out his 401k, and moves what’s left into his new home to play the waiting game. This does not go well.
We’ll leave the plot summary there, but if you’ve seen the chaotically insane 2003 comedy Duplex, then you’ve got a good idea of where this goes. However, this reveals the first major problem of the film, which is its tone and purpose. See with Duplex, the film is presented as a straight slapstick comedy from the jump, whereas American Dreamer is presented as a melancholic drama then pivots to slapstick, fully rotates back to depressive character study, doubles back to goofy laughs, and so on. This doesn’t completely derail the film, but the ride is certainly bumpy. Dinklage helps alleviate this by being a very versatile and flexible performer, however, there are cracks even he can’t fully mend. The other performances in the film contribute to the inconsistent tone in that every performer is going for something, even if it doesn’t really fit together. We’ve got a philosophical buddy bartender (Garry Chalk) banter, annoying coworker (Danny Pudi) hijinks, and even a love triangle between Phil, his landlord’s potential daughter (Kimberly Quinn), and one of his obsessive graduate students (Michelle Mylett). All of these factors plus a sprinkle of a grumpy guy becoming friends with an old woman who he kind of wants to die already, make for a messy collage of scenes and skits that make the structure of American Dreamer feel incohesive.
Now sure the performances are all over the place tone-wise, but there are some that really stand out and help keep this film afloat. Shirley MacLaine doesn’t get a lot of time on the court, but once she’s off the bench there’s a noticeable difference. MacLaine’s portrayal of the rich mansion owner Astrid is equal parts sarcastic, witty, kind, and bizarre. As the story goes on, Phil learns more about Astrid’s personal life which adds more complications to their already unorthodox relationship. MacLaine uses these revelatory scenes to showcase her comedy chops as well as her ability to carry the bulk of the dramatic weight in tender moments. Matt Dillon has never been my favorite all-arounder free agent pickup, but he carries his interesting role of “real estate broker/weirdly hostile buddy to Peter Dinklage” well, being both a confidant who spits out philosophical advice and calls the main character out on his negative, “asshole” actions. He rebounds, passes, and gets a dunk in every now and again. To keep this poorly portrayed basketball metaphor going, Danny Glover is the other veteran player on this cast who doesn’t get a ton of minutes, but when he’s up it’s electric. Glover’s character Jerry is a P.I. who is too good at his job yet somehow doesn’t contribute to the plot in any meaningful way. That being said, when I saw Glover I clapped. When he finally came back 35 minutes later for 2 minutes of a good bit, I laughed out loud. Glover continues to be dynamite in the paint.
While the cinematography is standard, there are some funny visuals that range from charmingly predictable to mildly interesting. This is not to say the film looks bad, but I believe that American Dreamer is trying to be perceived in the same relative ballpark as something like The Holdovers, which it’s not. Some interesting musical choices help give scenes the classic montage feel of your mid-2000s drama, which has aged in a less than favorable way. Overall the movie looks like something you’d catch on FX on a Sunday evening.
American Dreamer can maybe best be described as mildly mishandled high comedy, that is more entertaining than mismanaged. Like an old videogame riddled with goofy bugs, this film proves be enduring enough to provide a pretty enjoyable 90 minute watch. Not a film that’s going to make a huge splash, but is certainly worth it if you can find it on streaming.
3/5 not life-changing, but fun while it last. Honestly a great double feature with the 2003 film Duplex directed by Danny Devito.
Starring Peter Dinklage and Shirley MacLaine, American Dreamer is a new dramatic comedy from Dektor Film, Estuary Films, and Goldenlight Films. A lonely, grumpy professor and aspiring writer Phil (Dinklage) finds an ad for a “Live In” proposition, wherein he can live in a multi-million dollar mansion at a more affordable price until the owner of the property passes, after which, he would attain ownership of the property. After his realtor (Matt Dillon) discovers that the owner is an elder widow, Phil sells most of his possessions and moves in to discover the owner Astrid (Shirley MacLaine) is more healthy and difficult than he anticipated. Directed by Paul Dektor, the film also stars Kimberly Quinn, Danny Pudi, Danny Glover, Michelle Mylett, and Garry Chalk.
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