Potato Dreams of America

This movie feels like what would happen if Wes Anderson were forced at gunpoint to make the worst movie possible about a gay kid in the Soviet Union. The movie attempts to be "deep" by invoking surrealist imagery, but it comes off as just being oafish, stilted, and unintentionally comical. Surprisingly, the cast has some well-recognized faces - but they're too weighed down by this heavy handed script to become their own organic characters. Instead, they're just frozen in place as superficial, one-dimensional fixtures decorating the background of this egotistical dollhouse posing as a feature film...it was nice seeing Rickety Cricket in a movie though!

By no means I am a critic of any kind, but Potato Dreams of America made me jump out of my seat.

It is entertaining and unique - maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but I loved it.

I wept and laughed, and thought that mother is a saint and that boy... oh, boy!

If I laugh or cry this much while watching a movie, it is a great one.

Beautiful people, great acting. I thought the directing was awesome, too.

Wes Hurley, if you are reading this, hug your mum for me. I would not dare to offer one to you, too, but you deserve it nonetheless.

Thank you for telling your story in such a fun way.

Jesus Christ! They are handsome.

PS: I don't like tea.

Disclaimer: I produced this film, but out of many films I've worked on over the years, this one is very close to my heart. So funny and touching-based on a true story of a dear friend.

Young Russian boy dreams of going to America. He thinks based on what he sees on TV, that America must be like American movies - everyone gets a happy ending. And, he desperately wants a happy ending for himself and his mother. Both of them are living a hard life in Russia. His mother is being pressured to go against her principles at work and her son "Potato" is being forced to hide who he is. The movie stands for the proposition that If you wish hard enough, dreams sometimes come true. Great performances hold your attention including a comedic cameo by Jesus Christ. Sit back and enjoy the ride with a bit of buttered popcorn and a beverage. Potato Dreams of America is a real gem.

When telling a familiar story it's helpful that it's done in an original and entertaining way. Potato Dreams accomplishes both. A Russian boy and his mother emigrate to America via an American mail-order-bride scheme designed for men in the US who don't bond well with women who have any choices whatsoever with the direction and choices of their lives. It is into this marriage that the mother, with no English language and no prospects in a new and foreign land, brings herself and her young son to America. This bleak marriage is, sadly, more preferable to the Russian life she left behind. The son is left to come to terms with his sexuality in an American household led by a dogmatic stepfather with deep dark secrets of his own.

This desperate story is imbued with comedic frivolity by telling it in a storybook manner with charming stylishness. This effect never undervalues the seriousness of the characters' struggles, but rather makes them all the more dire by their contrast against the the light hearted context in which they're delivered.

Writer/director, Wes Hurley, has done a masterful job of bringing his personal story to the screen. His characters are engaging, especially Jesus, and hold your attention. I found myself captivated. There are so many big budget films that have every advantage going for them but are unwatchable. It is nice to come across this small indie film that punches well above its weight and leaves me eager for a sequel.

If you watch Potato Dreams you'll enjoy it.