Dinner in America – Aggressive Comedy
Director: Adam Rehmeier
Writer: Adam Rehmeier (Screenplay)
Starring: Kyle Gallner, Emily Skeggs, Griffin Gluck, Mary Lynn Rajskub, David Yow, Hannah Marks, Lea Thompson
Plot: An on-the-lam punk rocker and a young woman obsessed with his band unexpectedly fall in love and go on an epic journey together through America’s decaying Midwestern suburbs.
Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Dinner in America starts as Simon (Gallner) gets released from a psychiatric hospital getting in the middle of another incident, needing to get into hiding, he will meet Patty (Skeggs) a young woman who is struggling to find direction in her life.
As the two become closer, Simon opens Patty up to more of the world, after learning she is one of his biggest fans of band, he is the secret led singer of.
Thoughts on Dinner in America
Characters & Performances – Simon is a man that is released from a psychiatric hospital, only to find himself drawn back to his dangerous way, before needing to go into hiding. He has a grudge against the world with his punk attitude helping him stand up for himself and Patty. He has a lot of walls built up around him, which people will need to learn to break down to learn who he really is. Kyle Gallner does make this character come off aggressive and as a person that you don’t want to get to know, while managing to show us he does have a vulnerable side to him. Patty is the young woman that is struggling to find her place in the world, she works in a pet shop and doesn’t have any friends, she gets bullied and threatened around town, until she finds Simon and confesses her obsession to a secret band. She gets a chance to open up with someone treating her with respect for the first time in years. Emily Skeggs does give us a character that wants more, she shows us how isolated she is feeling, while showing us just how much a friend would mean to her. When it comes to the supporting cast, we get to see the people that are usually holding the pair back in different levels, people that need addressing.
Story – The story here follows a punk rocker that befriends a lonely young woman, as they both need to find someone in life that will help them get the direction they both need. This is a story that does have a very aggressive tone about the world being against the characters, they are showing their frustrations in different ways and the idea that someone can walk into your life and change everything is something many people will see happen. This story almost feels like the path way to full adulthood for Patty, as it also has the clear message, do what you enjoy, no matter what people around you think.
Themes – Dinner in America is a comedy romance that will have a type of comedy that will hit the right audience, it is an aggressive look at the world style of comedy, with the romance being more about how life can work in mysterious ways.
DINNER IN AMERICA is streaming on ARROW and available to buy or rent on all digital platforms in the UK from 1st June, Click Here to head to the Arrow Player
Dinner in America is a hyper aggressive comedy that deep down has a huge heart that will break down the walls built up by the characters.
