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Stories USA

  • 2007
  • R
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
2.7/10
696
YOUR RATING
Stories USA (2007)
Trailer for American Breakdown
Play trailer0:52
1 Video
7 Photos
ComedyDrama

Ten individuals set out to find themselves in an alienating world, filled with heartbreak, deception and tragedy.Ten individuals set out to find themselves in an alienating world, filled with heartbreak, deception and tragedy.Ten individuals set out to find themselves in an alienating world, filled with heartbreak, deception and tragedy.

  • Directors
    • David Worthen Brooks
    • Paul Carafotes
    • M. Eastling
  • Writers
    • David Worthen Brooks
    • Paul Carafotes
    • M. Eastling
  • Stars
    • Steven R. McQueen
    • Joe Mantegna
    • Michael Rispoli
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    2.7/10
    696
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • David Worthen Brooks
      • Paul Carafotes
      • M. Eastling
    • Writers
      • David Worthen Brooks
      • Paul Carafotes
      • M. Eastling
    • Stars
      • Steven R. McQueen
      • Joe Mantegna
      • Michael Rispoli
    • 9User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    American Breakdown
    Trailer 0:52
    American Breakdown

    Photos6

    View Poster
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    Top cast46

    Edit
    Steven R. McQueen
    Steven R. McQueen
    • The Kid (segment "Club Soda")
    • (as Stephen R. McQueen)
    Joe Mantegna
    Joe Mantegna
    • Mike (segment "Club Soda")
    Michael Rispoli
    Michael Rispoli
    • Jack (segment "Club Soda")
    Louis Gossett Jr.
    Louis Gossett Jr.
    • Doc (segment "Club Soda")
    Laurie Fortier
    Laurie Fortier
    • Bunny (segment "Club Soda")
    James Gandolfini
    James Gandolfini
    • The Man (segment "Club Soda")
    Billy St. John
    Billy St. John
    • Neil (segment "Club Soda")
    John Barillaro
    • The Repairman (segment "Club Soda")
    Marivel Decker
    Marivel Decker
    • Carla (segment "Club Soda")
    • (as Marivel Razo Decker)
    Ken Hudson Campbell
    Ken Hudson Campbell
    • Chester (segment "Street of Pain")
    • (as Ken Campbell)
    Eric Stonestreet
    Eric Stonestreet
    • Floyd (segment "Street of Pain")
    Kathleen Campbell
    Kathleen Campbell
    • Cheryl (segment "Street of Pain")
    Steve Carell
    Steve Carell
    • Mark (segment "Street of Pain")
    Ian Gomez
    Ian Gomez
    • Beau (segment "Street of Pain")
    Emmy Laybourne
    Emmy Laybourne
    • Merideth (segment "Street of Pain")
    Dyllan Christopher
    Dyllan Christopher
    • Young Mark (segment "Street of Pain")
    Nathan Norton
    Nathan Norton
    • Young Beau (segment "Street of Pain")
    Erik Torppe
    • Young Chester (segment "Street of Pain")
    • Directors
      • David Worthen Brooks
      • Paul Carafotes
      • M. Eastling
    • Writers
      • David Worthen Brooks
      • Paul Carafotes
      • M. Eastling
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews9

    2.7696
    1
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    10

    Featured reviews

    7videorama-759-859391

    Thought provoking Art house pic, but....

    I can't believe the shockingly low star rating this movie has received. An oddity, this is the most underrated one I've seen on the IMDb site. People have really misjudged this film. Yes, the film is very shoddily filmed, I won't disagree with that, but if you look into the heart and truth of the stories, the film is really thought provoking and has a cutting reality, especially as far as alienation is concerned. The film basically presents characters of hopelessness, despair, no more evident and affecting than in the last story, that really hits home with loneliness, about a lonely office clerk woman, who really got to me, and almost had me reaching for my Kleenex. She's reached that point of suicide, not the only used person, in her office, with the same agenda, in a story that's not only sad, but quite comically clever. The film's stories are told in very clever ways, like the first and second one, especially with Carrell. He and Paris are the standout performers in this show. I watched it for the late Paul Walker, and I have never seen an actor, more wasted in a movie, for what little time he had. What a downer? He should of never even bothered, as he was just there for his good looks. Character wise, he almost had nothing to work with. Josh Harnett's film, of endless dreary, and quiet bad monologue, I must say was quite mesmerizing. Noted, Stories U.S.A does have it's problems, low budget really showing, but if you look into the reality of the stories, there's some quite worthwhile and thought provoking stuff to pick up on. It's boring and paining end credit, run running at a near ten minutes, is almost as long as Star Wars, with really an hour, fifteen minute kill time pic. And I'll be honest, there's a lot other worse ways to kill time, than this, really worth the view, pic.
    1OJT

    Amateurish and awfully stupid film with a great cast

    I'd like to warn everybody before watching this piece of crappy movie. As the others writing a review here, I saw this DVD due to the great cast. Josh Hartnett, James Gandolfini, Steve Carrell, Paul Walker, Lois Gossett Jr., Joe Mantegna and even the others like young Stephen R. McQueen are doing their acting OK, but everyone knows that even great actors struggle when they are getting a bad manuscript and bad instruction from a bad director.

    They must all have been lured into this, and the result is not only wrong marketed on the DVD-cover as a Crash-like movie. The move is some kind of mush mash of old Ames and archive footage with quite different quality. It's also some stupid kind of fantasy involved here, in what really tries to be some kind of comedy. And this is one which isn't at all funny, not even unwillingly funny.

    In addition to that this is really a gathering of short movies put together as one. Not without some talent hidden somewhere here, but as a movie this deserves no other character than a 1 out of 10 stars. Some of the footage is both badly lighted and with bad technical sharpness and quality. When the film also is full of foul language and lines containing incestuous suggestions, and lots of swearing.

    The directors, there are two of them, is Erik MacArthur and David Brooks, and should find something else to do. Save yourself a shitty time, and avoid this movie. It's got nothing you need to see, except great actors embarrassing themselves in the hands of what they might have believed was professional directors.
    1markoolio-1

    Cinematic Breakdown

    Unfortunately, I was suckered in by the big name stars of James Gandolfini, Joe Mantegna, and Steve Carrell. This was an absolutely atrocious film with poor writing, directing, acting, and themes. I am going to request my money back for this rental. I just wish I could get my time back. Watching half this movie I'm sure took years off my life. I could not even make it through half way. This film certainly belongs in the Rotten Tomatoes category as one of the top WORST FILMS of all time. To give you an idea of how awful this film is, it would make any film from the legendary Top Tomato Director Ed Wood, look like GENIUS. The United Nations should immediately adopt international laws of showing this film to anyone as a WAR CRIME. It would not surprise me if the School of the Americas makes this part of the training mercenaries in poor third world countries. I'm sure this film has already been shown to prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. It's not water torture, but it definitely falls under "cruel and unusual punishment!"
    1highwaytourist

    Were the actors blackmailed into doing this?

    Every scene in this film is rank amateur. It looks like a student film by someone who didn't do any studying. Though there is allegedly a plot, no story really plays. Like everyone else suckered into watching this, I was drawn by the cast. One involved a line-less skit about dodge ball, another involved a few barflies, and so on, and so on. Now I wonder how they got conned into appearing in it? If it was for the money, than so much went to the actors, there wasn't any left over for sets or a screenplay. So I can't help but wonder if any were blackmailed into starring in it. Nothing else begins to explain it. Yeah, it's that horrible.
    1patcurtis-06994

    Absolute insanity

    What the hell was that?! The actors had to have been blackmailed or did a very generous favor to someone to appear in this thing. I've seen cartel beheading videos with better production quality. I cannot overstate how terrible this was.

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    Related interests

    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Scott Caan and Paul Walker appeared in Varsity Blues (1999) and Into the Blue (2005).
    • Goofs
      Text shown on screen during one scene misspells the word perpetrators as 'pepertrators'.
    • Crazy credits
      On the theatrical release poster, principal actors Steve Carell and Josh Hartnett both have their last names misspelled as "Carrell" and "Harnet" respectively.
    • Connections
      Edited from Member (2001)
    • Soundtracks
      Hocus Pocus
      Written by Paul Carafotes (as P. Carafotes)

      Produced by Tedi Sarafian

      Published by Koo Koo Charlie Publishing (ASCAP)

      Performed by Josh Siegel with Emma Carafotes and Penelope Alexitch

      [Played during segment "Club Soda"]

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    FAQ11

    • How long is Stories USA?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • 2008 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • American Breakdown
    • Filming locations
      • Molly Malone's Irish Pub - 575 South Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA("Club Soda")
    • Production companies
      • Phase 4 Films
      • SXM
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 30m(90 min)
    • Color
      • Color

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