''American Dreamer'' is a 2022 American

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...

film directed by Paul Dektor (in his feature debut) and written by

Theodore Melfi Theodore Melfi is an American filmmaker. His second film, ''St. Vincent'' starring Bill Murray, was released in 2014. In 2016, Melfi co-wrote, directed, and produced ''Hidden Figures'' with Allison Schroeder, for which he received Oscar nominati ...

. Based on a segment from the radio show ''

This American Life ''This American Life'' (''TAL'') is an American monthly hour-long radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internatio ...

'', it stars

Peter Dinklage Peter Hayden Dinklage (; born June 11, 1969) is an American film, television and stage actor. He received international recognition for portraying Tyrion Lannister on the HBO television series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which he ...

as a professor who tries to buy the estate of a lonely widow played by Shirley MacLaine. Matt Dillon, Danny Glover, Kimberly Quinn, and

Danny Pudi Daniel Mark Pudi (born March 10, 1979) is an American actor. His roles include Abed Nadir on the NBC sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), for which he received three nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor i ...

also star. The film premiered at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...

on June 11, 2022.

Premise

Dr. Phil Loder, a low-level, adjunct professor of economics at Harvard, 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.

Cast

as Dr. Phil Loder * Shirley MacLaine as Astrid Fanelli, the widow * Matt Dillon as Dell, a real estate agent * Danny Glover as a private investigator * Kimberly Quinn as Maggie *

as Craig, the Dean of Economics at Brockton University *

Michelle Mylett Robyn Michelle Mylett (born January 4, 1989) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Katy on the comedy series ''Letterkenny'' (2016–present). Early life Mylett was raised in Ladysmith, a town on Vancouver Island in British C ...

as a graduate student

Production

The independent film ''American Dreamer'' was first announced on February 2, 2021, with

, Shirley MacLaine, and Kimberly Quinn attached to star. In March, Danny Glover, Matt Dillon,

, and

joined the cast; production began on March 15 in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, and was set to conclude on April 16, 2021. Filming also took place in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

, where partial parts of the

British Columbia Parliament Buildings The British Columbia Parliament Buildings are located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and are home to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The Speaker and the Serjeant-at-Arms are amongst those responsible for the legislative ...

were converted into "Brockton University" as the film is set in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

Release

The film had its world premiere at the

on June 11, 2022.

References

External links

* {{This American Life 2022 black comedy films 2022 directorial debut films 2022 independent films 2022 films 2020s English-language films American black comedy films American independent films Films about educators Films scored by Jeff Russo Films set in Massachusetts Films shot in Vancouver This American Life 2020s American films