The Reel Review
A down on his luck, underpaid college professor stumbles across an opportunity to purchase a multi-million dollar mansion at a fraction of its estimated value, only to discover the deal is too good to be true. Peter Dinklage and Shirley MacLaine star in this comedy based on a true story.
Featuring charming performances from its two stars, American Dreamer is a slight but sweet story about the perils of materialism and opportunism. Dinklage carries the film, despite a distractingly clunky screenplay from writer Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures, St. Vincent). MacLaine, who turned 87 just after filming in 2021, proves she still has the goods to deliver an entertaining performance. The supporting cast includes Matt Dillon and Danny Glover.
At times the story drags, the action of some of the other female characters makes absolutely no sense, and the attempts at slapstick comedy fall flat, but even so, the ending is a sweet one that will elicit a smile.
REEL FACTS
• American Dreamer is loosely based on a segment from Chicago Public Media’s weekly hour-long radio program, “This American Life.”
• Oscar winner Shirley MacLaine (Terms of Endearment), 90, recently sold her ranch near Abiquiu, New Mexico.
• American Dreamer was filmed in Victoria and Vancouver, Canada.
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