American Dreamer | |
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Directed by | Paul Dektor |
Screenplay by | Theodore Melfi |
Story by |
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Based on | A segment from This American Life |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Nicolas Bolduc |
Edited by | Lisa Jane Robison |
Music by | Jeff Russo |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Vertical |
Release dates |
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Running time | 106 minutes [2] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
American Dreamer is a 2022 American black comedy film directed by Paul Dektor (in his feature debut) and written by Theodore Melfi. Based on a segment from the radio show This American Life , it stars Peter Dinklage as a professor who tries to buy the estate of a lonely widow played by Shirley MacLaine. Kim Quinn, Danny Pudi, Danny Glover, and Matt Dillon also star.
The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 11, 2022. It was released in the United States on March 8, 2024.
Dr. Phil Loder, a low-level, adjunct professor of economics, has always dreamed of owning a home. His wish becomes a possibility when a lonely widow offers Phil her sprawling estate for pennies. The deal, however, is too good to be true.
The independent film American Dreamer was first announced on February 2, 2021, with Peter Dinklage, Shirley MacLaine, and Kimberly Quinn attached to star. [3] In March, Danny Glover, Matt Dillon, Danny Pudi, and Michelle Mylett joined the cast; [4] production began on March 15 in Vancouver, and was set to conclude on April 16, 2021. [5] Filming also took place in Victoria, British Columbia, where partial parts of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings were converted into "Brockton University" as the film is set in Massachusetts. [6]
American Dreamer had a world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 11, 2022. [2] [7] It was released in the United States by Vertical Entertainment on March 8, 2024. [8]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 48% of 25 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10. [9] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [10]
Carla Renata of RogerEbert.com gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "Emmy winner Peter Dinklage is a perfect thespian match for the legendary Shirley MacLaine when it comes to curmudgeon-laced dialogue, while simultaneously giving these characters so much heart and grit that audiences will be inspired to reach into the screen to give them a hug. They're a wonderful duo, and it's their contributions and chemistry that anchor the film." [11]
Shirley MacLaine is an American actress and author. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed, and eccentric women, she has received numerous accolades over her eight-decade career, including an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, two BAFTA Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Volpi Cups, and two Silver Bears. She has been honored with the Film Society of Lincoln Center Tribute in 1995, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1998, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2012, and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2013.
Peter Hayden Dinklage is an American actor. For portraying Tyrion Lannister on the HBO television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019), he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series a record four times. He also received a Golden Globe Award in 2011 and a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2020 for the role. Dinklage has a common form of dwarfism known as achondroplasia and stands 4 ft 5 in (1.35 m) tall. He has used his celebrity status to raise social awareness of dwarfism.
Matthew Raymond Dillon is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award nomination and Grammy nomination.
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The Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series is one of the award categories presented annually by the Critics' Choice Television Awards (BTJA) to recognize the work done by television actors.
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Kimberly Pita Quinn is an American actress, writer and film producer. She made her film debut playing a leading role and co-writing in the 1999 independent drama film Winding Roads. Quinn later produced and played supporting roles in a number of films, include St. Vincent (2014), Hidden Figures (2016), and The Starling (2020). She is married to director Theodore Melfi, together they own production company Goldenlight Films.
Peter Dinklage is an American actor and producer. He studied acting at the Bennington College where he starred in a number of amateur stage productions. He made his film debut in the 1995 comedy-drama Living in Oblivion. After appearing in a series of supporting parts in much of the 1990s and early 2000s, he made his breakthrough by starring in the Tom McCarthy-directed comedy-drama The Station Agent (2003), which had him play a railroad-obsessed introvert who inherits an abandoned train depot. He was cast in the role by director Tom McCarthy who recalled fondly his appearance in McCarthy's play The Killing Act (1995). For his performance, he received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Actor and an Independent Spirit Awards nomination for Best Male Lead. In the same year, Dinklage played the title role in the play Richard III at The Public Theater. He also played a children's book author in the comedy Elf. In 2006, he appeared in the Sidney Lumet-directed crime film Find Me Guilty. He followed with roles in the films Underdog (2007), the British film Death at a Funeral (2007), with its American remake of the same name (2010) and Trumpkin in the high fantasy film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008).
El Camino Christmas is a 2017 American comedy film directed by David E. Talbert and written by Theodore Melfi and Christopher Wehner. The film stars Luke Grimes, Vincent D'Onofrio, Dax Shepard, Kurtwood Smith, Michelle Mylett, Emilio Rivera, Kimberly Quinn, Jessica Alba, Tim Allen and Jimmy O. Yang. The film was released on Netflix on December 8, 2017.
The Starling is a 2021 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Theodore Melfi and written by Matt Harris. The film stars Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd, Timothy Olyphant, Kim Quinn, Skyler Gisondo, Loretta Devine, Ravi Kapoor, Daveed Diggs, Rosalind Chao, Laura Harrier, and Kevin Kline.
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