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.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.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.
- Awards
- 14 wins & 6 nominations total
Shelby Alayne Antel
- Nikki
- (as Shelby Antel)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
I tuned in for Kyle, who I have seen and liked in other things. The first half of this movie had me squirming, with the opening scene being particularly hard to watch; if you're squeamish you may want to avert your eyes. Also there is a LOT of profanity. It was hard for me to see all the ill-treatment that Patty endures in her daily life (what's in all those pill boxes anyway?) I thought, do I really need to see more of this? But by the halfway point I was thoroughly invested. The "dinner in America" scenes around the family table were a hoot-did anybody recognize their own childhood here? (Take it down a notch!) Throw Simon in the mix and the whole household is upended! But a touching tenderness develops when Patty and Simon discover their hidden relationship with each other. I feel like Patty could have ditched her meds after that: Simon is her new feel-good, and it's nice to see Patty shine like that.
Dinner In America is a heartwarming story about an unexpected relationship between two young adults, Patty and Simon. Despite it's rauchiness, it encapsulates the toughness of the world while simultaneously bringing happiness to light in a unique way. While it may not do it perfectly, it's a great film to watch between friends-From laughing to scrunching your nose at the questionable, this film will keep you interested to see what happens next. Although I had my doubts at the beginning of the movie, the ending was pleasantly surprising, as both characters share traits that one wouldn't expect at first glance.
Quirky, offbeat comedy centered around two intensely unconventional characters. Much of the film is spent passive aggressively or all-out aggressively railing against banality and status quo in the American suburbs but there is also a sweet, heartwarming core and a lot of charm. It did feel a little long in the 2nd half without quite as much momentum as the 1st but overall this was a really enjoyable and unusual film.
Always a joy when low expectations yield joyous results. This is simply wonderful. Something to offend everyone. A junkie arsonist punk singer trashes a bunch of people's lives, encounters a socially stunted chick being bullied, wants to use her for his own ends, slowly discovers she is more like him than he realises and they fall in love. Zero sentimental crap and a bizarre happy ending.
This is close to zero budget and with a cast of no names. No requirement for explosions or car crashes. Well written script with real characters. Dripping with vicious sarcasm. Wonderful. More please. I loved this so much.
This is close to zero budget and with a cast of no names. No requirement for explosions or car crashes. Well written script with real characters. Dripping with vicious sarcasm. Wonderful. More please. I loved this so much.
The first 15 to 20 minutes struggled, with the cuts too sharp and the dialogue a little clunky. However, stick with it - once it got going it found a good pace with a light tone, comedic moments and some highlights that were genuinely touching. I didn't think it offered anything new in regards to the story (ultimately it's a bad boy and a 'weirdo girl') but it was so well done with thorough, fleshed out characters, that it was very hard to find anything to dislike about it. It felt genuine and, importantly, it offered something different to what gets churned out nowadays. Plus points for a catchy headline song as well.
Did you know
- TriviaThe song "Watermelon" was written for the film as a collaboration between Emily Skeggs (Patty) and writer/director Adam Rehmeier. On their second day in Detroit, Rehmeier had Skeggs write stream-of-consciousness poetry as her character, and they created and recorded the song in a day.
- SoundtracksIt's Sad to Belong
Performed by Dan Seals (as England Dan) & John Ford Coley
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing
- How long is Dinner in America?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $22,394
- Runtime1 hour 46 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39:1
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