American Dresser

Didn't know what I was getting into, so the aerial views of our East coast was a beautiful surprise. The colors popped off our screen.

The film's setup can be a bit confusing but it's simple enough. The whole film is more a slide show of America and our people, than a mystery.

Personally I don't subscribe to Harley mania but I am very familiar with this vein of our country of peoples.

The movie is not sad but more beautiful than anything. What a great accomplishment for the actor, writer, and director who are all the same guy. Gina is perfect, and Tom gives it his best (though I don't think he actually rides, lol).

The California/Santa Monica bit was as accurate as my life. The beauty that comes from success at being Americans with careers and healthcare.

It's a nice, easy and visually appealing film for a Saturday night. The American Dream realized and reaffirmed on film.

I really looked forward to seeing this movie. I ride and I was hoping for a good biker movie as there aren't too many, but this was a horrendous film. Poor acting, awful writing, rediculous situations, the only good parts were the cut scenes when they were riding down the road. Nice scenery, beautiful bikes and no dialogue, if only the whole move was just bikes riding down the road, passing amazing scenery, this movie would have been a whole lot better.

Upon his wife's (a beautifully preserved Gina Gershon) untimely death, a widower (a craggy Tom Berenger) sets out on his hog to look for America, from California to the New York island in reverse, and his 25 year old son by a former mistress, accompanied by his best chum and former comrade in arms in 'Nam, (David Keith). En route they speak and find every cliche' such a premise could possibly offer. Poorly written, directed, and self-starring, as the lone wolf tagalong biker stud, natch, novice Carmine Cangialosi. Veterans Berenger and Keith do manage to pull off some decent interaction as life-long intimates, but Keith's classical diction while spouting his hot-headed character's strained outrage sounds ridiculous coming from the ex army petty officer and inveterate down-n-dirty hog rider he's supposed to be, and Berenger also does some phony bits I can't believe he'd have done if he'd not been (mis)directed to. Somewhere in the middle Bruce Dern makes a brief appearance as a down-and-out former cycling badass.

Yes, of course, they do ride through Monument Valley. And, from what I gather as a layman, only from the song over the credits, a "dresser" is apparently cyclist lingo for motorcycle.

The beginning of a career well deserved. Looking forward to more movies produced by Carmine Cangialosi.

There is a lot you could like in this movie if it had been made by a better director and had a stronger plot. The acting is fine, Berenger and David are good but are strung up by a movie that just doesn't know where it is going. It strives for drama but is not strong enough in its plotting to develop the drama or the plot strands and throws in events that just don't make sense. The direction is week and as the director is also one of the key leads, it comes across as too much of a vanity project. There are some positives: the two leads are strong and it's a pleasure to watch them. Also, the bikes are great and if you are a biker (as I am) then you'll probably enjoy the film cause you'll understand the thrill of a long bike tour. So if you are then this is not a bad way to while away 90 mins. However, if you're not, then this film will leave you frustrated because there is a lot here that could have been so much better.