Is "the American Dream" still alive and well, or is it a pipe dream whose time has come and gone (and perhaps never really was)? That's the question rhetorically posed in this modestly entertaining fact-based debut feature comedy from director Paul Dektor, which examines the efforts of an optimistic yet cynical economics professor/would-be novelist (Peter Dinklage) with meager means who repeatedly attempts to buy a home far above his pay grade. He's discouraged by his frank but somewhat oily real estate broker (Matt Dillon) from continuing in this futile Quixotic pursuit until he finds an offer that seems too good to be true, one proposed by an eccentric wealthy widow (Shirley MacLaine) who's in the early stages of dementia and is fiercely defended by her daughter (Kim Quinn), an astute lawyer determined to liquidate the deal before she and her heirs get swindled. The result is a comedy of errors with warm, fuzzy edges that makes for an often-sweet and tender comedic romp, despite an occasional overreliance on slapstickish humor to sustain laughs. The script is full of delicious little twists and turns, though sometimes the overall narrative doesn't hang together quite as well as it could have due to its inconsistent character development and occasionally meandering story flow. However, the film's fine ensemble cast capably holds this project together, thanks to the fine performances of its principals and the solid work of its supporting players, including Danny Glover, Danny Pudi, Michelle Mylett and Raresh DiMofte. "American Dreamer" is far from epic cinema, but it's certainly an enjoyable watch and a good first effort from the filmmaker. With some further refinement and more experience behind the camera, here's hoping we can expect more and better work from this promising first-time director.

I watched this just to see Peter Dinklage vs Shirley MacLaine and was not disappointed in that aspect. But the script wasn't the best. For starters, why didn't Danny Glover (the PI) do the obvious first thing and check whether Shirley really did have legal children?

The way she said "my kids" tipped me off from the start that they were more like her informally adopted kids, from the neighborhood or whatever. One of them had a foreign accent and worked as a plumber. Rather odd for the son of a wealthy American woman. It really irritates me when I see clues in a movie that zoom right over the heads of the supposedly smart characters in the story. Ferreting out the truth about the kids would have ended the movie after an hour.

Other problems included, how quickly Maggie became attracted to Phil, despite there being zero chemistry between them. I was expecting that to be some kind of gambit of hers. And what was Maggie's motivation in battling Phil for the house? Not having any legal claim, Maggie wouldn't have gotten the house unless she was planning to use her expertise to forge some documents. That part was left entirely unexplained.

Why didn't Maggie (or another of the many kids) take up Astrid's offer to buy the mansion for $240K, considering that she spent a lot of time there anyway. Just move in upstairs and it'll never get to the point where Astrid needs to advertise in the classified. So many plot holes.

As a comedy American Dreamer isn't that great, or I must have a totally different sense of humour. Nevertheless it's not a bad movie. It is pleasant to follow, no real dull moments, a bit more dramatic than humorous, and enjoyable actors. Peter Dinklage is well casted for this role, an always dissatisfied grumpy character, a role that fits him well. I couldn't believe how well Shirley Maclaine still looks at her age. She was pushing ninety in this movie, and honestly I couldn't tell. We can only wish to look that fit when we will hit ninety. I would give American Dreamer a 6.5 if it was possible on here.