American Dreamer

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2:14

American Dreamer

R

2019

1h 32m

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

57%

Tomatometer

14 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

A down-on-his-luck driver who makes extra cash by chauffeuring a low-level drug dealer around town finds himself in a serious financial bind and decides to kidnap the dealer's child.

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Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

09/20/2019

3.5/4

Directed with claustrophobic, docudrama-style intensity by Derrick Borte and featuring a career-best dramatic performance by [Jim] Gaffigan, "American Dreamer" is a dark and intense and sometimes brutally violent slice of rotted life.

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Noel Murray

Los Angeles Times

09/19/2019

Gaffigan brings plenty of gravitas to "American Dreamer," a low-key neo-noir that starts out as a character sketch about a broken man, and then takes an even darker turn.

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

09/19/2019

2/5

Since none of the characters are terribly bright or likable, the experience of watching the film is like being trapped inside a locked car stuck in neutral.

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Alison Foreman

Mashable

12/06/2019

It's a far cry from Gaffigan's typical optimism, and not anywhere near as funny. But as is often the case in comedy, American Dreamer works because it feels true, and bleakly, unapologetically possible.

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Jackie K. Cooper

jackiekcooper.com

10/15/2019

5/10

An average thriller made better by a dramatic turn by the always funny Jim Gaffigan.

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Wade Major

FilmWeek (LAist)

10/04/2019

It takes some turns that feel very contributed, but you're watching this basically to watch Jim Gaffigan work and do something we haven't seen him do before. And in that regard, it's very rewarding.

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LaCelle P

@Movie_watcher672 Dec 20

Deserves no stars!!!!! What a sick and twisted f*#k! Idc what happened to the driver that made him such a waste of space - no child deserves to be harmed in ANY way! This movie is trash because justice wasn't served - I watched a child murderer survive when he should've died horrifically for killing an innocent child!!!! Disgusting and the ppl that wrote it should think of how insensitive this shit is to families who have senselessly lost their children to psychos like the insane ass driver!!

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Ted B

@Movieaddicted 09/04/2023

3.5 stars: Yes. This movie was claustrophobic. But, that is what made this picture work. We are stuck inside a 'Uber type' car with a very downtrodden character whose life is in a downward spiral. This cramped environment gives us the ability to understand what drives (pun intended) this character to make such a desperate idiotic decision. I wasn't real sure what the moral of the story was. But on the other hand, that's what made it more true to life. Jim Gaffigan's performance moves him into that category of sparsely populated funny comedians who can deliver superlative dramatic performances.

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les n

@Vegas628 04/30/2021

Maybe I'm just a Jim Gaffigan fan, but I really liked this movie.

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08/31/2020

Intense movie that gave me anxiety the entire viewing. Jim Gaffigan in a non comedy role did well but kept expecting a Hot Pocket joke. No seriously though very well paced and tense.

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08/09/2020

Wow, this was done great. Tension throughout. Good movie.

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07/13/2020

The movie was well made and the soundtrack was pretty dope , the cast was cool and all but the story was just a little to cringy for my taste! I would have love to have seen the kidnapper die at the end or if the child didn't died in the nature he did ! The ending was sucked ! Jim gaffigan's character was pretty evil! But the mom was dirty as well ! I would have rated the movie like a 4 stars but the content was like find of messed up

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Ad Astra and Downton Abbey Are Certified Fresh

American Dreamer: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A down-on-his-luck driver who makes extra cash by chauffeuring a low-level drug dealer around town finds himself in a serious financial bind and decides to kidnap the dealer's child.

Director: Derrick Borte
Producer: Scott Floyd Lochmus
Screenwriter: Derrick Borte, Daniel Forte
Distributor: Saban Films
Production Co: Old Dominion University, XYZ Films, Sugar Pictures LA, Storyland Pictures
Rating: R (Some Strong Sexual Content|Disturbing Material|Pervasive Language|Drug Use|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 20, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 20, 2019
Runtime: 1h 32m

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