Americana

An ensemble cast of peculiar characters all struggling to possess a valuable native American artifact. They mostly have zero experience in the criminal side of society and are laughably bad trying to learn.

The story is told in chapters, Tarantino style. Unlike Tarantino, all but one of the chapters are told in linear order, so apart from the change of character the chapters are meaningless.

Another difference from Tarantino is that the characters are left somewhat cartoonish. Not 2 dimensional, but not deeply developed either. It would be easy to add 30 minutes delving into the characters backstory and getting us more invested in their story arc. But that would get gritty and unpleasant in a way this movie doesn't want. In particular with the father character and those at his house.

I had not looked at the body of work for writer, director Tony Tost. But looking now I see Pokerface, The Terror, and a host of other good shows. He's made another winner here. There's also mention of a Forrest Whitaker movie in the dialogue, I need to look that up.

Best performances go to Zahn McClarnon, Gavin Maddox Bergmen, and Sydney Sweeney, in that order. Zahn and Gavin get a good amount of screen time together and those are some of the best moments in the movie.

I'm between giving this a 7 or 8. I will go with 8 because it appears the recent Jean ad featuring Ms Sweeney has provoked some people into dumping 1 star reviews here. My biggest complaint would be the title, which seems to suggest the movie will reflect core American values. It doesn't. It is set in the heartland (south dakota) and lovingly filmed in and around albuquerque, but that alone doesn't warrant a title of that significance.

This movie was an unexpected gem. Quirky characters and storylines develop well and intertwine until they all come together in a totally unexpected and dramatic way. When the movie was wrapping up, I didn't want people around me to know I was on the verge of tears. I will be stopping at the store to buy some PBR!

AMERICANA is not a disaster. In fact, it's maybe 3/4ths of a very good movie. This neo-Western crime caper has a lot to say both about America's violent past and its fractious, identity politics poisoned present, but it should have taken the time to develop those ideas more fully.

Don't be fooled by Sydney Sweeney's top billing-she's probably the third or even fourth lead. She's fine enough, though her character is underwritten and stuck with a character trait that probably seemed better on the page than how it plays on screen. Halsey is fierce and along with Zahn Mcclarnon probably gives the movie's best performance.

AMERICANA looks and feels like an early Coen Brothers film or something Tarantino might have tried before Pulp Fiction, but it lacks the style, pace and wit that either of those filmmakers would bring to the material. But you could do worse movie-wise these days and if you go in open minded, you might just come away liking this one.

There are enough likeable characters here with own special quirks - country music and reincarnation obsessions, art theft and cultural appropriation - to make "Americana" a fun late summer journey to the movies. Sydney Sweeney before she was involved in any eugenics controversy, Halsey, and Paul Walter Hauser along with a great Zahn McClarnon all offer something interesting, sort of like "Nashville" and "Thunderheart" thrown in a blender. It along with "Eddington" give hope that a kind of revival of nineties indie cinema might be around the corner, or at least before the next Superman reboot.

It's a black comedy-drama Western set in modern times in South Dakota and Wyoming. The story unfolds in multiple parts as we meet all the characters. They include young Cal Starr (Gavin Maddox Bergman), his mother, Mandy (Halsey), and her live-in boyfriend, Dillon MacIntosh (Eric Dane). Mandy comes from a very unusual family. There is the "ghost shirt," which has great spiritual significance for the local Lakota People, that is stolen at the direction of antiques dealer Roy Lee Dean (Simon Rex). Ghost Eye (Zahn McClarnon), head of the local Lakota resistance movement, wants its return. Two people insert themselves into the story after overhearing the plot at the local diner. They are waitress Penny Jo Poplin (Sydney Sweeney), an aspiring country singer, and romantically-deprived Lefty Ledbetter (Paul Walter Hauser).

"Americana" could be mistaken for a Coen Brothers film, with off-center characters who get involved in events far beyond their ability to control. The humor is Coen-like. There is a lot of violence, but this is a Western in which the Lakota acquit themselves well. There's also a feminist angle. Halsey, Sydney Sweeney, Paul Walter Hauser, and Eric Dane all perform well. The pace is good and the story engaging despite the multitude of themes.

The Roger Ebert reviewer didn't like "Americana," but I did.