American Dreamer

Gritty and dark drama with decent suspense throughout.

Jim Gaffigan is excellent as Cam, a rideshare driver who has strong mental problems and is under severe financial stress. Robbie Jones is also superb as Mazz, a drug dealer who hires Cam's vehicle for the day. In one desperate moment, Cam decides to kidnap for ransom Mazz's young son, and things will take a terrible turn thereafter.

Overall, definitely not your feel-good movie of the month, but if you like very dark films you may very well like this one. Raw language throughout, increasing violence, and one explicit sex scene.

A down on his luck man (Jim Gaffigan) is now working as taxi driver after being made redundant. With child care costs and unsympathetic ex wife things look very bleak. He takes a job which ends up being driving round a drug dealer on his money collections. Desperately he kidnaps the dealers son and demands 20k for his return. When you see Jim Gaffigan's name you expect light hearted and funny but don't be fooled this is an edge of the seat drama filled ride.

His range is so unexpected?? but amazing?? he makes you feel for his character so deeply even though he's betraying your trust every chance he gets. amazing paradox and references to much broader current events.

I'll try to render my opinion without any spoilers. First, the acting is top notch, especially the Latina mother of the kidnapped boy in question. She was completely believable as a streetwise habitue and I suspect she will have a long future in Hollywood. Everyone else was fine, so no complaints there. Why seven out of ten? Well, in the end, the "story" was a bit far-fetched: a down-on-his-luck cabbie resorts to kidnapping in order to make money for child support? I guess, in Hollywood terms, this is probably akin to Al Pacino holding up a bank to pay for his lover's sex-change operation in Dog Day Afternoon. What man will do when they're desperate! Is this a film worth seeing? Sure. You won't be disappointed.

Didn't fancy this film thought it was going to be a "b" movie but I was very wrong. Acting by the lead and supporting actor was at a very high standard along with the direction and cinematography the story was also very good, my wife and I scored this a 6 but could have been an 8 but one part of the movie frustrated us both hence why my scoring dropped I cant elaborate on that drop as I will spoil the movie.

I'd recommend this movie as the story and acting is first class.