Movies that explored The American Dream

Movies that explored The American Dream

Hi, Everybody!  I'm Santiago Brion and today I posted this blog about movies centering around The American Dream. Whether it's the darker aspect of the American or the lighter side of it. In light of todays' American landscape and the fact that we have approached Fourth of July weekend(In which I won't be celebrating because America's not the greatest country in the world anymore.) I have concocted a list of American Dream movies. Let's get to it.

10. Foxcatcher

Sports movies have been become a huge staple in American cinema. They all have the story of an underdog team uniting under a coach and deliver a rousing speech before the big game. 

In this case with Foxcatcher, it explored the dark side of sports: drugs, alcohol and toxic leadership.

Based on the true story of the muder of Dave Schultz(played by Mark Ruffalo) by John du Pont(played by Steve Carrel), Foxcatcher follows Mark Schultz(played by Channing Tatum in one of his best performances), who's invited to du Pont's estate to form a wrestling team for the 1988 Olympics and du Pont leads Mark on a very dark road towards his own loss of self-esteem and eventually propelling Mark, Dave and him into an unforeseen tragedy. 

Du Pont had believed that he was destined for greatness and that he would be the one to lead America to Olympic Gold glory with delusions of grandeur. Du Pont trying to impress his mother with a wrestling movie is painful to watch and that's in due to large part to Steve Carrel's brilliant performance. 

As in the case with Mark Schultz, he's a character with an eventual and psychological destruction creeping towards his own front door, cracking under pressure of competitive sports. Rarely has there ever been a sports movie with a psychologically dramatic edge. Is the pressure that athletes put on themselves worth it? Is it worth the physical and emotional damage done to the body and psyche? 

9. Pleasantville

Two twin siblings, David and Jennifer, get transported into an American TV show from 1950s called well... Pleasantville. The TV show portrays 1950s America as a whole. As the young siblings try to get back home, they change the town's landscape and accidentally start a sexual revolution, in which the characters turn into technicolor. Pleasantville reflects how the American people envision The Dream with white picket fences and a car in every garage while showing how it's not really as how people would imagine it including lack of women liberation. It's also a morality tale on contemporary suburban American life. It's by far one of the best satire movies about 50s America. 

8. An American Tail

One of the most underrated Animated movies of all time, is also one of the best movies centering around the American Dream. A young Russian mouse named Fievel Mousekewitz is separated from his family during their immigration to America. During his time in New York, he meets an Italian mouse, an Irish mouse and a cat to help him reunite with his family. It was a really great movie about immigration. Although it was very dark and gloomy, it had great animation.

7. The Social Network

It all started in a dorm room. This true story of a college student by the name of Mark Zuckerberg created a social website that we all know today called Facebook which is now still relevant today, while being sued for intellectual property theft and betraying his best friend. Although historically inaccurate, it's a great character study on one of the richest people in America if not, the world due in large part to David Fincher's direction and Jesse Eisenberg's great performance. 

6. Little Miss Sunshine

This comedy-drama centers on the Hoover family, Richard, Sheryl, Olive, Dwayne, Frank and Edwin, who puts the "fun" in dysfunctional by piling into a Volkswagen bus to head to California to go to the Little Miss Sunshine contest in support of Abigail Breslin's character. Richard is a motivational speaker who believes in the American Dream, despite the fact that it's really not working for him. Unlike traditional American Dream movies, it doesn't focus on success but rather about accepting failure. It's got a really great and inspiring cast, witty screenplay and deeply heartfelt moments.  

5. Wall Street

During the 1980s, the economy was booming and Oliver Stone perfectly captured 80s success with Wall Street. The film follows Bud Fox(played by Charlie Sheen), a young stockbroker who becomes involved with Gordon Gekko(played by Michael Douglas), a corporate giant and greedy businessman who says that greed is in fact good. When Bud's guilt catches up to him however, he must choose between success and his own conscience. An obvious middle finger to Reaganomics, it's an archetypal portrayal of economic success in 1980s America. The character of Gordon Gekko is the embodiment of corporate manipulation, which would later win Michael Douglas the Academy Award for Best Actor. 

4. Sunset Boulevard

Hollywood has become the beacon for aspiring actors, directors, writers, etc. to achieve fame and success, but at what cost? A veteran silent film actress, Norma Desmond refuses to accept that her career has ended. She hires a screenwriter, Joe Gillis, to help set up her movie comeback. He believes that he can manipulate her,  but he soon finds out that he's wrong. Their relationship inevitably leads to violence, madness and death. Narrated by Joe recounting his final days, Sunset Boulevard is a Hollywood movie about the darker sides of Hollywood, a great character study on a once great actress.

3. Scarface

A movie that needs no introduction, while 1932's Scarface was the empitomy of noir gangster films, 1983's Scarface is much more culturally significant and the violence goes up to a "T". Tony Montana is a product of immigration as his mother moved to Miami many years ago. Tony strives to achieve to American dream by becoming a big time drug lord, only to have everything that he worked for destroyed. The movie resonated with many immigrants, the audience sees through all of the heinous crimes that he commits and takes his iconic quotes to heart. He was just like everybody else, a man achieving the American Dream. 

2. Born on the Fourth of July

Another Oliver Stone movie on this list, it examines the very casualty of the Vietnam War: the American spirit. Ron Kovic, played by Tom Cruise, was just an ordinary teenager who enlisted after graduating high school. Hell, he's even born on the Fourth of July (Tom Cruise was born on July 3rd). Following a friendly fire incident and a permanent paralysis, he becomes an anti-war activist after he seeing an uncaring Veterans Administration and witnessing a country so politically divided(EVEN TO THIS DAY!) and gets into an alcoholic and depressive state. The scene with Ron shouting at his mother is devastating to watch. Serving the USA is the greatest honor but in reality, it leaves you bitter, angry and questioning the very nation that you live in.

Honorable Mentions:

- GoodFellas

- The Deer Hunter

- There Will Be Blood

- Citizen Kane

- Death of a Salesman

1. The Godfather: Part II

A movie that's mostly about the American Dream. Hell, the movie even begins with a young boy, who is Vito Corleone, leaving Italy to immigrate to America and it's one of the most beautiful opening sequences ever filmed. While the focus is on Michael Corleone trying to keep his family business afloat, the real plot is the rise of Vito Corleone, played by Robert DeNiro which won him a well-deserved Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Living in Hell's Kitchen in 1917, Vito goes from ordinary Italian man to crime boss. It set a gold standard for many sequels to come and one of the greatest movies of all time.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to comment below.