AMERICAN DREAMER (2024) - Mark Reviews Movies

American Dreamer, Vertical

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Review by Mark Dujsik | March 7, 2024

There are at least two ways to play the story of American Dreamer, which revolves around a deal that seems too good to be true. In it, a man discovers a classified ad, promising the sale of a grand estate worth a minimum of $5 million for the relative bargain of $250,000. The catch of the deal is that purchaser is relegated to a separate section of the mansion, while paying all of the property tax and utility bills, and will only fully own the house upon the current owner's death.

According to some opening text, this is "sort of" based on a true story (adapted from an episode of the radio show/podcast "This American Life"), but that tidbit is less interesting than whatever screenwriter Theodore Melfi decides to do with the gimmick. Will our protagonist simply wait out the owner's death, or will he, perhaps, try to hasten his acquisition of the property?

The movie tries to have it both ways. It takes a cynical look at the wealth gap and how entire generations of people in this country are more or less financially beholden to the wealth gained by the older generation's fortune of being born into more prosperous times. At the same time, Melfi and director Paul Dektor indulge in elements of dark comedy, as Dr. Phil Loder (Peter Dinklage), an adjunct college professor who has the luck/misfortune of finding this deal, starts to appear as if he's attempting to kill the woman who owns his future home.

Meanwhile, though, the movie also tries to approach Phil's relationship with the current owner with complete sincerity. Some of that makes sense, since Astrid, the homeowner, is played by Shirley MacLaine, whose mere presence brings with it a level of legacy and a degree of sweetness that make it near-impossible to imagine anyone either actively working toward or passively orchestrating her character's demise. The filmmakers might have missed a prime opportunity in evading that, however. Doesn't the juxtaposition of MacLaine's charming persona and the notion of some nefarious upstart trying to off her possess some wicked amusement, even as a simple idea?

To be fair, some of that is here, as Phil accidentally causes Astrid to befall a few accidents, including a slip on the floor and a drunken sabotage of her wheelchair, leading to one of the movie's funnier gags as the motorized chair races toward a lovely but, under the circumstances, potentially fatal view. As played by Dinklage, Phil seems to have a sinister edge to him, as well, because his own life is a shambles and Dinklage is an actor who can simultaneously come across as sympathetic and cunning with complete ease. We can buy that his Phil both wants Astrid dead on some level and, since he sees himself as a decent guy at heart, really doesn't want to admit that such is the case.

The result is a hodgepodge of ideas that never quite comes together into a convincing or consistent narrative. Part of that carries over to the characters, too. Phil, for example, is economics professor, irritated by his lack of tenure or even a parking space on campus, but he's also quite terrible with his personal economics. Renting a cramped apartment and eating vending machine sandwiches for lunch, his goal is to one day own a house, but Phil makes sure his real estate agent Dell (Matt Dillon) notifies him whenever there's an open house for properties costing millions of dollars. If he's going to dream the American Dream, it might as well be big, apparently, regardless of how unfeasible it is on his salary.

The mansion deal has him cash out his retirement plan and sell almost all of his belongings (This leaves one wondering how he's going to pay the bills and the taxes on the property, but the screenplay ignores that question). He's basically broke, and the only thing standing in his way of having a multi-million-dollar asset is Astrid's death. Dell is convinced she doesn't have long to live or any kids to argue over the inheritance, but Phil discovers neither of those things might be true. Astrid is active, and her daughter Maggie (Kim Quinn) is an attorney—who specializes in wills and estate disputes, for bad measure.

This basic setup is intriguing, particularly when it leans into the comedy of Phil's luck turning bad (The house itself seems to have it out for him) and the shenanigans of Phil looking like a potential killer. Everything surrounding it—including a couple of ethically or practically questionable sexual trysts, the hiring of a private detective (played by Danny Glover) who might not be good at his job, and the strangely and suddenly saccharine tone that starts to accompany Phil's connection to Astrid—is messy, though.

Here's a movie, then, with some comedic promise that simply doesn't possess a clear understanding of what it's trying to say, let alone how it should attempt to say it. American Dreamer is too iffy with its ideas and its tone to work.

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