Buying a home is more and more of a pipedream for many people nowadays. With low wages in respectable positions, Americans are seeing the typical American dream increasingly out of reach as time goes on. This is the conceit for Vertical’s latest picture, American Dreamer. Directed by first-timer Paul Dektor and written by Theodore Melfi (St. Vincent, Hidden Figures), the film follows an adjunct college professor as he tries to achieve his white picket fence, but of course, hijinks get in the way.
Peter Dinklage stars as Phil Loder, an economics professor and former author, long out of his second marriage. Clearly unhappy in his life, he spends his free time scouring Zillow looking for the perfect house that is always at millions over budget.
One day, he finds a classified ad advertising a large, New England-style mansion on the water for $5 million or for $250,000 with the caveat that the owner will live in the main area until her death. With little research from him or his obnoxious broker Dell (Matt Dillion), Phil buys the house.
His new housemate Astrid (the always wonderful Shirley MacLaine) is frosty, demanding everything he breaks he buys, including old pipes he never actually did any damage to. Their initial dynamic may remind you of Richard Linklater’s Bernie, which she also starred in. However, MacLaine brings a warmth to the role that slowly emerges throughout the story. As more is revealed about her, including that she has heirs (Kim Quinn) and might not be as close to death as promised, the wheels of his own life start to fall off. He loses his job, the women in his life start revolting, and his dream of owning a home is too good to be true.
Peter Dinklage is known for his grounded and nuanced performances, but the things that happen to his character don’t seem to match up with his behavior. While he normally plays characters with some amount of charm, there’s something intentionally unlikable about his performance. Paul’s inability to be content with his life leads to most of his problems. Many of the stacked supporting cast, like Quinn, Danny Pudi, Danny Glover, and Michelle Mylett seem to punish him for little to no reason, something that he seems to egg on but is not really explored.
As a director, Dektor hits the comedic beats he’s supposed to but doesn’t find the story’s heart until well into the third act. This could be because Melfi’s script has to torture Paul for a good bit of the film’s 106-minute runtime. Ironically, the concept for American Dreamer can from an episode of This American Life where the woman who buys the house with the owner still in it, becomes like family to the man, living together for 16 years. But that story isn’t a black comedy that dissects American consumerism and what it means to be happy.
American Dreamer is available now in select theaters and On Demand.
