If you’re like me, I’m guessing the pairing of Peter Dinklage and Shirley MacLaine probably wasn’t a big screen duo you were expecting to see in 2024. Yet the two come together in “American Dreamer”, the first feature film from director Paul Dektor. Premiering all the way back in 2022 at the Tribeca Film Festival, this well acted and subtly funny black comedy is finally getting its proper release courtesy of Vertical.

“American Dreamer” is based on a segment from Chicago Public Media’s weekly hour-long radio program, “This American Life”. Written for the screen by Theodore Melfi, this adaptation is ever so loosely based on a true story, told through a medley of characters who are brought to life by an interesting and well-tuned cast. But while the script is a big reason the movie and most of its characters work, it’s also a key reason why the movie stumbles in a few fairly noticeable places.

A well-cast Dinklage plays Phil Loder, a frustrated cultural economics professor at Brockton University. It’s easy to understand Phil’s discouragement. He’s underpaid and underappreciated by his colleagues. And his personal life isn’t much better. He’s twice divorced from the same woman who ended up taking every dime he had.

All Phil wants to do is write his novel and fulfill his dream of owning his own home. But not just any home. He’s obsessed with multi-million dollar luxury estates. So much so that he frequently attends high-end open houses held by his smarmy real estate agent friend Dell (Matt Dillon). Despite making under $50k a year, Phil refuses to lower his goals to something more realistic. In his mind there has to be a way to realize his dream.

And that’s when Phil stumbles upon a classified ad that could change his life. A lonely and ailing widow named Astrid Finnelli (MacLaine) is seeking to sell her sprawling lakeside mansion. Childless and near death, Astrid sets the price of her mansion and property at $5 million “as is” or $240,000 if the buyer agrees to live there with her until her death. At the time of her death, the home will then be deeded to the tenant. Thinking there’s no way the elderly Astrid will live long, Phil liquidates his entire 401K and sells everything he owns to muster up the $240,000.

We immediately see hints that the deal might be too good to be true starting with the rundown living quarters where Phil is assigned for his stay. It’s adjacent to the immaculate main house but a far cry from the luxury accommodations he was expecting. Things get even more suspicious with the arrival of the all-business Maggie (Kim Quinn) who from every indication appears to be Astrid’s daughter. Before long the scenario Phil imagined begins to crumble under the weight of reality.

Dektor knows what he has in Dinklage who proves to be a great match for the material. The actor’s signature somber eyes and dry wit fits well with a character identified equally by melancholy and humor. MacLaine doesn’t get a lot to do but she’s terrific whenever she’s on screen. Dillon is properly slimy and we even get the great Danny Glover playing a seasoned (and quite funny) private investigator.

On the negative side, the film’s occasional swings at slapstick don’t always land and often feel out of place with the rest of the movie. Even worse is the handling of the female characters. Outside of MacLaine’s Astrid, the women don’t fare very well. Some of their actions make no sense and come without any reasonable motivation whatsoever. Both are story issues that are hard to overlook (especially the latter). They don’t fully undermine the strong performances from Dinklage and MacLaine. But they do reveal some bad calculations that the movie can’t quite shake. “American Dreamer” releases March 8th in theaters and on VOD.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS