American Dreamer deserves better than it has gotten. Shot three years ago during the pandemic this delirously black comedy premiered at Tribeca 2022 and got lost in the crowd. The filmmakers including first time feature director Paul Dektor and screenwriter/producer Theodore Melfi decided to then hold it back and recut and tighten it eliminating 10 minutes of the original running time. In early 2023 it turned up at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, still largely ignored, and then its distribution hunt was further delayed by the Hollywood strikes. Finally Vertical has wisely picked it up and it will be opening in theatres and VOD Friday.
I saw the Tribeca cut and I have seen the final cut. Both worked for me but it was great to experience it a second time in an actual theatre with a very appreciative audience. Comedies work best that way and this one...
I saw the Tribeca cut and I have seen the final cut. Both worked for me but it was great to experience it a second time in an actual theatre with a very appreciative audience. Comedies work best that way and this one...
- 3/7/2024
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The dubious ideology known as the “American dream” might have lost its meaning amid today’s economic conditions, when making rent each month counts as a triumph for most. But in debuting director Paul Dektor’s occasionally amusing yet messy dark comedy, “American Dreamer,” untenured East Coast economics professor Dr. Phil Loder (Peter Dinklage) holds onto its antiquated gist for dear life, indignantly teaching his subject with an idealist pursuit-of-happiness angle and fantasizing about the day he would proudly buy his very own house.
The trouble is, Dr. Phil (a nickname he detests) doesn’t quite have the means for the property of his dreams — not a modestly comfortable condo or anything, but a giant mansion that would set him back a few million dollars. Still, that doesn’t stop him from frequenting open houses at the kinds of homes he definitely can’t afford and sipping champagne among more qualified buyers.
The trouble is, Dr. Phil (a nickname he detests) doesn’t quite have the means for the property of his dreams — not a modestly comfortable condo or anything, but a giant mansion that would set him back a few million dollars. Still, that doesn’t stop him from frequenting open houses at the kinds of homes he definitely can’t afford and sipping champagne among more qualified buyers.
- 3/6/2024
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
Archstone Entertainment has acquired international rights to “American Dreamer,” a dark comedy starring Peter Dinklage, Shirley MacLaine, Kim Quinn, Matt Dillon and Danny Glover. Paul Dektor (“Frayed”) directs a script written by Theodore Melfi (“Hidden Figures”).
The movie is based on a true story from Chicago Public Radio’s ”This American Life” and follows Dr. Phil Loder (Dinklage), a low-level adjunct professor of economics at Harvard, whose grand dream of owning a home is tragically out of reach — until an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes his way when a lonely, childless, near-death widow (MacLaine) offers Phil her sprawling estate for pennies. But Phil quickly learns the deal is too good to be true.
Dinklage is best known for his work on “Game of Thrones.” MacLaine won an Oscar for “Terms of Endearment” and starred in “The Apartment” and “Postcards From the Edge.” Dillon’s credits include “Crash” and “There’s Something About Mary.
The movie is based on a true story from Chicago Public Radio’s ”This American Life” and follows Dr. Phil Loder (Dinklage), a low-level adjunct professor of economics at Harvard, whose grand dream of owning a home is tragically out of reach — until an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes his way when a lonely, childless, near-death widow (MacLaine) offers Phil her sprawling estate for pennies. But Phil quickly learns the deal is too good to be true.
Dinklage is best known for his work on “Game of Thrones.” MacLaine won an Oscar for “Terms of Endearment” and starred in “The Apartment” and “Postcards From the Edge.” Dillon’s credits include “Crash” and “There’s Something About Mary.
- 2/7/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Vertical has set a March 8th day-and-date release for American Dreamer, an indie comedy starring Peter Dinklage and Shirley Maclaine, to which it’s acquired North American rights.
First introduced to the world at the 2022 Tribeca Festival, the film marks the directorial debut of Paul Dektor, who worked from a script by Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures). Pic is based on a true story from Chicago Public Radio’s This American Life and follows Phil Loder (Dinklage), a twice divorced, frustrated, underpaid professor of economics, whose grand dream of home ownership is tragically out of reach. When an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes his way, Phil strikes a deal with Astrid Finnelli (MacLaine), a lonely, childless, near-death widow who offers her sprawling estate for pennies. But Phil quickly learns the deal is too good to be true and the American dream is not quite what it used to be.
Also starring Kim Quinn,...
First introduced to the world at the 2022 Tribeca Festival, the film marks the directorial debut of Paul Dektor, who worked from a script by Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures). Pic is based on a true story from Chicago Public Radio’s This American Life and follows Phil Loder (Dinklage), a twice divorced, frustrated, underpaid professor of economics, whose grand dream of home ownership is tragically out of reach. When an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes his way, Phil strikes a deal with Astrid Finnelli (MacLaine), a lonely, childless, near-death widow who offers her sprawling estate for pennies. But Phil quickly learns the deal is too good to be true and the American dream is not quite what it used to be.
Also starring Kim Quinn,...
- 2/1/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Long-time Academy Museum of Motion Pictures executive Amy Homma was promoted to Chief Audience Officer Nov. 28, Director and President of the Academy Museum Jacqueline Stewart announced.
“Amy has proven herself to be a skillful, forward-thinking, and inspiring leader since she began at the museum in 2019, and I look forward to seeing her and her teams thrive in this new capacity,” Stewart said. “As a seasoned programmer, educator, and administrator who brings a deep knowledge of audience engagement and museology, Amy is the ideal person to steer our museum’s next chapter of external relations.”
Prior to her new appointment, Homma worked as vice president of Education and Public Engagement at the Academy Museum. Under her leadership, the museum developed K-12 programming and public programs rooted in accessibility and activism.
Homma’s introduction to the Academy Museum was as the inaugural director — a position she acquired following the conclusion of her...
“Amy has proven herself to be a skillful, forward-thinking, and inspiring leader since she began at the museum in 2019, and I look forward to seeing her and her teams thrive in this new capacity,” Stewart said. “As a seasoned programmer, educator, and administrator who brings a deep knowledge of audience engagement and museology, Amy is the ideal person to steer our museum’s next chapter of external relations.”
Prior to her new appointment, Homma worked as vice president of Education and Public Engagement at the Academy Museum. Under her leadership, the museum developed K-12 programming and public programs rooted in accessibility and activism.
Homma’s introduction to the Academy Museum was as the inaugural director — a position she acquired following the conclusion of her...
- 11/29/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay, Michaela Zee and Katie Reul
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Few actors are as effective conveying misanthropy as Peter Dinklage. With his arch line readings and endlessly expressive face, the actor excels at portraying damaged souls possessing an underlying vulnerability. It’s what makes him so perfect for the starring role in the new film scripted by Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures) in which he plays an embittered economic professor desperately searching for happiness but failing miserably at every turn. American Dreamer, recently showcased as the opening night film of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, is the sort of acerbic black comedy that feels like a throwback to the more cinematically daring 1970s era.
Dinklage plays Philip Loder, an economics professor at a New England university whose lectures mainly consist of angry screeds about social inequality. Philip relates to the subject personally, since he only earns 50,000 a year and doesn’t have the...
Few actors are as effective conveying misanthropy as Peter Dinklage. With his arch line readings and endlessly expressive face, the actor excels at portraying damaged souls possessing an underlying vulnerability. It’s what makes him so perfect for the starring role in the new film scripted by Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures) in which he plays an embittered economic professor desperately searching for happiness but failing miserably at every turn. American Dreamer, recently showcased as the opening night film of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, is the sort of acerbic black comedy that feels like a throwback to the more cinematically daring 1970s era.
Dinklage plays Philip Loder, an economics professor at a New England university whose lectures mainly consist of angry screeds about social inequality. Philip relates to the subject personally, since he only earns 50,000 a year and doesn’t have the...
- 11/15/2022
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By Abe Friedtanzer
A comedy starring four-time Emmy winner Peter Dinklage and the legendary Oscar winner Shirley MacLaine? Sounds like a recipe for success. Yet there’s something about American Dreamer that just doesn’t work. That's a shame given that these actors are so talented and putting them together should work very well. Paul Dektor’s directorial debut is still a perfectly decent way to spend 106 minutes, but it’s not as funny or satisfying as it could be…...
A comedy starring four-time Emmy winner Peter Dinklage and the legendary Oscar winner Shirley MacLaine? Sounds like a recipe for success. Yet there’s something about American Dreamer that just doesn’t work. That's a shame given that these actors are so talented and putting them together should work very well. Paul Dektor’s directorial debut is still a perfectly decent way to spend 106 minutes, but it’s not as funny or satisfying as it could be…...
- 6/19/2022
- by Abe Friedtanzer
- FilmExperience
Writer-producer-director Theodore Melfi has a different take than those who think independent filmmaking is becoming an endangered species; in fact, he tells me right now we are in “a golden age of independent film.” That might be one of the reasons he is bullish about both films he has at this week’s Tribeca Festival in New York City — independently produced movies he is helping shepherd along. On Corner Office, which stars Jon Hamm, he is an executive producer, and on American Dreamer, he is the screenwriter as well as a producer of the comedy that stars Peter Dinklage, Shirley MacLaine and Matt Dillon. Both are for sale, and the bottom line is Melfi truly believes the audience will dictate whatever the perfect form of distribution is, whether it be theatrical, streaming, digital VOD or a combination of all three.
As a director, Melfi has had experience on every level...
As a director, Melfi has had experience on every level...
- 6/13/2022
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Frédéric Boyer on Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn’s Official Competition, starring Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, and Oscar Martínez: “Extraordinary! It’s like a Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn type of slapstick” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
In the second installment with Tribeca Film Festival Artistic Director Frédéric Boyer we discuss Joachim Back’s Corner Office, John Michael McDonagh’s The Forgiven, David Frankel’s Jerry and Marge Go Large, Paul Dektor’s American Dreamer, Andrew Bujalski’s There, There, Annette K Olesen’s A Matter Of Trust, Kyra Sedgwick’s Space Oddity, Katie Holmes’s Alone Together, Peter Hengl’s Family Dinner, Clara Stern’s Breaking The Ice, and Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn’s Official Competition (Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, Oscar...
In the second installment with Tribeca Film Festival Artistic Director Frédéric Boyer we discuss Joachim Back’s Corner Office, John Michael McDonagh’s The Forgiven, David Frankel’s Jerry and Marge Go Large, Paul Dektor’s American Dreamer, Andrew Bujalski’s There, There, Annette K Olesen’s A Matter Of Trust, Kyra Sedgwick’s Space Oddity, Katie Holmes’s Alone Together, Peter Hengl’s Family Dinner, Clara Stern’s Breaking The Ice, and Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn’s Official Competition (Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, Oscar...
- 5/31/2022
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The festival is set to take place from June 8-19, and features 88 world premieres.
Tribeca has unveiled its 2022 line-up, with world premieres including Joachim Back’s Corner Office starring Jon Hamm and Danny Pudi, and Ray Romano’s directorial debut, Somewhere In Queens. Josh Alexander’s Loudmouth is set to close the festival.
The 21st edition is to take place in New York from June 8-19, with 88 world premieres across its 10 categories, showcasing 109 feature films and 16 online premieres from 150 filmmakers across 40 countries. The Tribeca At Home platform will allow US audiences to watch a selection of films online from June...
Tribeca has unveiled its 2022 line-up, with world premieres including Joachim Back’s Corner Office starring Jon Hamm and Danny Pudi, and Ray Romano’s directorial debut, Somewhere In Queens. Josh Alexander’s Loudmouth is set to close the festival.
The 21st edition is to take place in New York from June 8-19, with 88 world premieres across its 10 categories, showcasing 109 feature films and 16 online premieres from 150 filmmakers across 40 countries. The Tribeca At Home platform will allow US audiences to watch a selection of films online from June...
- 4/19/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Danny Glover, Matt Dillon, Danny Pudi and Michelle Mylett joined the cast of American Dreamer, the Paul Dektor-directed dark comedy that has just gotten underway in Vancouver. The actors join Peter Dinklage, Shirley MacLaine and Kim Quinn on the Ted Melfi scripted film. Dinklage, David Ginsberg, Quinn, Melfi and Dektor are producing along with Flying Firebird.
Pic is told in a similar tone as Melfi’s St. Vincent and is based on a true story segment from the This American Life podcast. The film follows Dr. Phil Loder (Dinklage), a low-level, adjunct professor of economics at Harvard, whose grand dream of owning a home is tragically out of reach…until an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes his way when a lonely, childless, near-death widow (MacLaine) offers Phil her sprawling estate for pennies. But Phil quickly learns the deal is too good to be true.
Glover will play a private investigator...
Pic is told in a similar tone as Melfi’s St. Vincent and is based on a true story segment from the This American Life podcast. The film follows Dr. Phil Loder (Dinklage), a low-level, adjunct professor of economics at Harvard, whose grand dream of owning a home is tragically out of reach…until an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes his way when a lonely, childless, near-death widow (MacLaine) offers Phil her sprawling estate for pennies. But Phil quickly learns the deal is too good to be true.
Glover will play a private investigator...
- 3/22/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Peter Dinklage and Shirley MacLaine are set to star in American Dreamer, an indie which has been set to begin production March 15 in Vancouver. The film is written by Academy Award nominee Theodore Melfi, and will be directed by award winning commercial director Paul Dektor. American Dreamer is produced by Peter Dinklage and David Ginsberg’s Estuary Films, Theodore Melfi and Kim Quinn’s Goldenlight Films, Paul Dektor and Flying Firebird LLC. Quinn will also act in the film, playing MacLaine’s daughter Maggie. The film is currently in pre-production.
Pic is told in a similar tone as Melfi’s St. Vincent and based on a true story segment from the This American Life podcast. The film follows Dr. Phil Loder (Dinklage), a low-level, adjunct professor of economics at Harvard, whose grand dream of owning a home is tragically out of reach…until an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes his way when a lonely,...
Pic is told in a similar tone as Melfi’s St. Vincent and based on a true story segment from the This American Life podcast. The film follows Dr. Phil Loder (Dinklage), a low-level, adjunct professor of economics at Harvard, whose grand dream of owning a home is tragically out of reach…until an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes his way when a lonely,...
- 2/2/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.