Dinner in America (2020) User Reviews (58)

A small film with a big heart

[eddie_baggins · 7/10 · 5 July 2022]

A modern day version of Badlands or True Romance (without the killing), the Ben Stiller produced indie Dinner in America features two outcasts of society banding together through a chance encounter as Kyle Gallner's feisty punk rocker Simon and Emily Skegg's awkward recently fired retail worker and music super-fan Patty find solace in one another's company in the midst of the American mid-west.

A hit at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival where it was nominated for the covetous Grand Jury Prize and a key player at other film festival's over the last few years, Dinner is an impressive feature from director Adam Rehmeier who manages to give his film heart and soul amongst its pitch black showings of dark humor and bubbling tension that appears set to give our two main characters a journey that can only end in way in which they attack life with a fearless recklessness that society has forced them to undertake.

Key to the films success as a darkly in tune exploration of lost souls roaming the increasingly unhinged surrounds of the American working class system is the performances of Gallner and Skeggs, who are both likely to benefit greatly from Dinner finally being available to a mass audience as their turns here suggest both actors are sure to be staple of the industry in the years yet to come should they stay as committed to their craft as they are here.

Full of rage and often misguided energy but also a charisma that is hard to ignore, Gallner does impressive work as the not always likeable but hard to hate Simon while Skegg's is beautifully vulnerable as Patty who starts to grow into a whole different version of herself once Simon enters her life and allows her to be the person she was always supposed to be, even if the landscape and people around her might not be as ready to accept the new version her being.

In many ways Dinner is a slight film, there's no big payoffs or revelations here and for the most part the film plays entirely off the work of its two leads but for anyone that connects to these two lost souls that find acceptance and meaning in one another, Dinner will provide a modern day gun-free Bonnie and Clyde that is fuelled by a wicked sense of humor and desire to stick it to the man.

Final Say -

A dark and sometimes tricky dramedy that won't strike a chord with everyone, Dinner in America is a noteworthy independent offering with two of the more intriguing main duos of recent memory, making this character driven escapade worth seeking out.

3 1/2 Nintendo 64 consoles out of 5

For more reviews check out Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)

Unconventional, aggressive and heartwarming

[jon_pratt12345 · 7/10 · 24 July 2021]

Quirky, offbeat comedy centered around two intensely unconventional characters. Much of the film is spent passive aggressively or all-out aggressively railing against banality and status quo in the American suburbs but there is also a sweet, heartwarming core and a lot of charm. It did feel a little long in the 2nd half without quite as much momentum as the 1st but overall this was a really enjoyable and unusual film.

Can only say a movie you'll enjoy

[lesdroits · 8/10 · 28 October 2020]

Had no idea what to expect when I started to watch this at the Virginia Film Festival. It said "comedy" which evokes "Hangover" type silliness. But no -- not a goofy comedy if really a "comedy" at all. More a quirky, offbeat movie that touches so many good and warm spots. You don't see it coming. It starts with serious-seeming vulgarity by the main character. But as it develops, it just gets better and better until the end and you feel you've eaten a large, delicious meal. Probably the most enjoyable movie I saw at the Film Festival. Whenever it comes out, I will definitely watch it again. (Not want to say too much specifically so you can just let it develop without a clue where it's going.)

The best serio-comic punk-outlaw romance in decades

[MOscarbradley · 9/10 · 16 October 2023]

Adam Rehmeier's "Dinner in America" is without doubt the best serio-comic punk-outlaw indie movie to have come along since I don't know when. Although it doesn't go too far off the beaten track of dozens of other 'youth' movies, (even blatantly stealing a gag from "Heathers"), I can't think of many as fresh or as likeable as this one. It's your old-fashioned boy-meets-girl plot though neither the boy nor the girl fit the stereotypical roles that might suggest.

He's a punk rocker but since he keeps his face hidden under a mask when performing nobody knows his real identity and she's a nerdy fan generally regarded by everyone she meets, (including her family), as 'retarded'. They certainly don't meet cute, (he's on the run from the police and she hides him), and they don't hit it off straight away until her 'secret' becomes the key that unlocks his bad-boy heart, (he likes to smash things and set fire to people's property).

Despite its propensity to violence and a screenplay as foul-mouthed as any in recent movies this is definitely a sweet-natured movie and as their unlikely romance blossoms you will undoubtedly find yourself cheering for it to succeed. As the central pair of lovers both Kyle Gallner and especially Emily Skeggs are absolutely terrific and I am sure both they and writer/director Rehmeier have the brightest of futures ahead of them.

Dinner In America is for the misfits!

[JessL03 · 9/10 · 27 February 2020]

I was fortunate enough to catch this film at Sundance. It is absolutely wonderful. The style of directing is very clean and stylized, and the humor used is biting but not trite. It's the perfect mixture.

Simon and Patty are misfits, forgotten or ignored by society. They are pushed aside. Simon is the kind of person who fiercely lives his life out loud by the code of punk rock, uncaring about what others think about him, but he has a good heart. He is often in the wrong situation at the wrong time and forced to make the best out of the options laid before him. Patty is often made fun of by her peers or complete strangers for no reason. She lives her life almost in secret, letting go and losing herself in her room to her music as she dances without abandon. From the outside, she's the last person you'd expect to be a punk rocker.

These two meet and what ensues is a beautiful, touching, and humorous journey about seeing someone else for who they truly are--learning to look past whatever first impressions that may have been formed and seeing the person inside of them who is often lost to others or afraid to come forth. By finding each other, Simon and Patty find themselves. Go see this movie!

Outstanding lead actor

[Irena_Spa · 7/10 · 6 May 2021]

At the beginning of the movie of some 15 minutes I've got tired and wanted to go out, but then the story started to have some rhythm in the right direction. Its content took on a form and dose of humor, and by that I've got the reason to stay and watch it further. Is it about the question of the real picture of American family and culture, and their values? Well, probably mainly. However, without extraordinary Kyle Gallner's acting the movie would be empty.

Hollywood used to do stuff like this 50 years ago - when they actually made films

[AnusPresley · 9/10 · 21 November 2023]

Always a joy when low expectations yield joyous results. This is simply wonderful. Something to offend everyone. A junkie arsonist punk singer trashes a bunch of people's lives, encounters a socially stunted chick being bullied, wants to use her for his own ends, slowly discovers she is more like him than he realises and they fall in love. Zero sentimental crap and a bizarre happy ending.

This is close to zero budget and with a cast of no names. No requirement for explosions or car crashes. Well written script with real characters. Dripping with vicious sarcasm. Wonderful. More please. I loved this so much.

An enjoyable moment of foul mouthed but well mannered punk

[jjr-76474 · 7/10 · 12 August 2021]

Some stoner comedy, some Rom-Com, some teenage angst comedy, it would like to be black flag punkish but it is much more Ramones' style, i.e. A pleasant feeling of laid back burlesque mixed with wtf energy. You like it, have fun with us, you don't? Too bad., whatever...

Don't let the apparent crassness, grossness and rudeness fool you, this movie is about young adults, still children in many ways, and their pretending to be tough grown-ups, so nothing new. But it works and entertains, because of the cheer enjoyment the cast is having, the great cinematography, and the permanent irony of the director when confronting the tough talk they talk and the soft path they walk.

Brilliant Film!

[victoriapilotyyc · 10/10 · 25 June 2020]

You have to watch this film!! It has the quirkiness of Napoleon Dynamite, but with way more depth and commentary on life!! Such a beautiful relationship is built between Simon and Paddy, you will have a huge grin on your face watching their relationship build. Paddy is also such a fantastic female lead, that represents a different type of woman not normally showcased in film, and it was so wonderful to see and be able to relate to her.

Dinner in America

[FKDZ · 7/10 · 12 February 2024]

Dinner in America, a interesting mix of a absurd comedy romance, filled with over the top characters and poking fun at everyone whilst it can. It's a fun and easy movie to watch, and flew by.

Directing was perfectly fine, it looks the part, colors are great and some scenes really stick out. Besides that it's fairly standard.

Story/writing/acting, this is the meat and potatoes of the movie and is where it is strongest, the writing with the oddball characters instantly made it interesting to me, the whole contrast of Simon versus Patty, and the family dinners scenes were great. It's writing borders on parody and it makes the movie a lot of fun, with some standout funny moments. It's not a typical comedy with a joke every few minutes, but it's a nice balance between the action, romance, and comedy aspects. The story in general was good, the ending decent though I thought the whole finale was wrapped up somewhat quick. I wish we spend a bit more time with them after the basement scene. Music is good too.

Acting is strong, Gallner shows again he can handle pretty much any role and is making me want to find more of his work, and Skeggs surprised me with her quirky, fun and endearing performance. Perfectly cast.

Fun and quirky movie that went under the radar.

Very fun and original

[drjacobgrayson · 9/10 · 3 October 2021]

10 times more entertaining than most movies, and probably had 1/10 the budget! Just give it a try!

Really good

[earlmoran-56934 · 5 June 2021]

I was thinking this is a special movie. They were able to include everything. Hope more talented creations like this comes along.

Oddly...Satisfying

[wafflemakermom · 7/10 · 15 February 2024]

I tuned in for Kyle, who I have seen and liked in other things. The first half of this movie had me squirming, with the opening scene being particularly hard to watch; if you're squeamish you may want to avert your eyes. Also there is a LOT of profanity. It was hard for me to see all the ill-treatment that Patty endures in her daily life (what's in all those pill boxes anyway?) I thought, do I really need to see more of this? But by the halfway point I was thoroughly invested. The "dinner in America" scenes around the family table were a hoot-did anybody recognize their own childhood here? (Take it down a notch!) Throw Simon in the mix and the whole household is upended! But a touching tenderness develops when Patty and Simon discover their hidden relationship with each other. I feel like Patty could have ditched her meds after that: Simon is her new feel-good, and it's nice to see Patty shine like that.

Hey there, fellow kids.

[Victor_Fallon · 4/10 · 27 June 2021]

This is ostensibly a traditional romcom which tries way too hard to be edgy. Full of quippy, antagonistic dialogue from one-note characters who seem to have no redeeming features. However, if you can stick it out through the first act, it develops a sense of light storytelling and even a few glimpses of character development along the way.

It's not a total embarrasment, but I'd wish they'd leaned heavier into the romance/characters instead of the intentionally obnoxious tone present in almost every scene. The acting is straight-up-the-middle ok. The editing and direction is irritating. The soundtrack is unacceptable.

Difficult to recommend. It's a movie stuffed with jerks who (very) occassionally let their mask fall to reveal a human side, but ultimately it drowns in its own filth and really needed to come up for air more often.

Beautiful

[gaps77 · 9/10 · 5 June 2021]

Take a chance on this film.

It isn't really that comical, it's romantic, not just for chics, it's aimed at anyone who has a heart.

Easily the best film I've seen in a long time.

By the time you get 60% of the way through it becomes something special, and when Patty and Simon really find each other (in the Basement - no spoilers) it's truly beautiful.

Suburbia, Napoleon Dynamite, and Stranger Than Fiction walk into a punk show!

[jerimyreis · 10/10 · 25 December 2023]

This was a pretty great movie. I would not have guessed that. 😉

Dinner in America merges genres seemlisly, creating something that is entertaining, heartwarming, thought provoking, funny, and dramatic. At its core its a coming of age romantic comedy, but with the energy of Fight Club. It doesn't take itself so seriously to come of pretentious, and has a genuine punk rock vibe.

Patty is such a sweet heart weirdo you can't help but fall in love with. Simon is angry and punk rock. He doesn't come across as one dimensionally though. His character has some depth.

I also love how uncomfortable Simon's presence in the suburbian landscape makes me feel. The relationship of Simon and Patty is just as uncomfortable. That dissonance resolves by the end of the movie.

If you saw the trailer or synopsis and you are on the fence about watching, stop reading reviews and just watch this movie. You'll have. Heck you might even cry!

"Let's double-stuff this tard!"

[submachine · 7 July 2022]

In the tradition of indie classics like Welcome to the Dollhouse and Napoleon Dynamite, Dinner in America is another misfit coming-of-age masterpiece...with a soundtrack to match. Cast and crew deserve all the awards.

Stiller & Gallner & Gluck

[yusufpiskin · 6/10 · 13 August 2021]

Ben Stiller remains committed to getting a good producer. Kyle Gallner, one of the names I miss seeing on the screen for myself, and Griffin Gluck, who skillfully transitioned from TV to screen, did a good job in this post-punk story.

It rewards patience. Stick with it and be rewarded!

[highwingremnants · 9/10 · 9 January 2024]

This movie tries to do everything it can to make the audience want to switch off in the first part. It presents you with a terrible, manipulative person who'd be a danger to anybody getting close to him, and then puts him on a collision course with someone you instinctively want to protect from him.

You're just going to have to trust me that there's more that needs to unfold. Beautiful things are going to happen. It's messy and trashy, and it needs to be. You'll even end up feeling a little bit bad for having those protective feelings at first, which is going to feel unthinkable when you're in the early stages of the story. Learning what Patty wants and seeing her find it is an absolute joy.

It's a great film with some surprisingly subtle things to say about freedom and what it means to invent yourself.

Profane but adorable "romcom"

[kelvynchin · 8/10 · 3 June 2021]

Adam Rehmeier's comedy/drama about a misanthropic musician who falls for a socially awkward girl starts off plenty profane but ultimately proves to be a winning romance between two different kind of loners.

Simon (Kyle Gallner) is the rebellious indie punk rocker (we see him torching someone's lawn after a family date dinner gone wrong early in the proceedings) - who somehow shacks up with Patty (Emily Skeggs) , a good natured but awkward, frumpy and socially inept girl. As they have a series of misadventures together, Simon helps Emily to stand up for herself, while getting her whole family to mellow down and do pot; along the way, he also finds out that Patty is his anonymous admirer (Simon has an underground gig as the leader of a punk band).

Emily Skeggs is adorable as the regularly put-upon Patty, and slowly, she in turn brings out the better side of Simon. Although Simon is portrayed as an expletive-spewing anti-social dick, his character's more human side emerges by the end of the movie. Pic is a real charmer, with a beating heart of gold. There are also some good indie/rock/ metal numbers near the end, such as the titular "Dinner in America", and Patty's rendition of "Fuxx-em--all". I would hesitate to recommend this to anyone easily offended (especially by foul language), but if one were to "take it down a notch" and sit this movie through, you'd be rewarded with a sweet and winning film.

Never take it down a notch

[nataliekidson · 10/10 · 19 May 2022]

Absolutely loved this and it only gets better each time I watch it. I find Patty to be so relatable and love all the quirky characters in her family. Simon embodies the anarcho punk mentality reminiscent of early Against Me! This is the kind of film that leaves you wanting to see where the next adventure takes them.

Grows on you

[seaspongegirl · 5/10 · 25 April 2023]

I turned this off twice before I got through it. There are so many unnecessary gross out moments that don't appear to be for humor or authenticity and really take away from the main story, which is ultimately rather sweet. The first half is over the top and meandering, a lot of it feels like edginess for edginess's sake, & not in a punk rock way. The portrayal of the Midwest as eternally trapped in the 80s also feels misguided and campy without intention. Like they're going for the time in a vacuum vibe of Napoleon Dynamite and miss the mark. That being said, the romance is oddly endearing and the songs are excellent.

Best feel good movie

[birdsonthings · 10/10 · 2 October 2022]

This movie left me feeling so joyful. Right after watching, I wanted to watch it again. It's that good. Everything about Dinner in America is perfect: music, story, characters, actors, filming, humor, directing. I just LOVED this movie. I can't praise it enough.

Emily Skeggs as Patty and Kyle Gallner as Simon were so fitting. The way their love story was developed was so endearing. It's not your typical rom-com but it was lovely to experience their story. They're both extreme outcasts. Simon being the hot head punk and Patty being the bullied nerd. I found myself thinking there's no way these characters could be a couple. This movie is so cute and funny. It deserves all the hype and praise. I cannot express my love for this movie enough. Do yourself a favor and watch it now!!!

One for the punks

[chrislawuk · 9/10 · 14 March 2024]

It's these little indie movies that restore my faith in cinema. I'm sort of guy that trawls IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes looking for new movies, but there are always ones that fly under the radar. Looking at this movie being over 4 years old now and only having over 5000 ratings on IMDB is quite sad. No doubt it will gather an audience over the years, but someone should release it on a streaming platform or something to get it more exposure. Its basically a James Dean for the 2020's, but much funnier. Although rough on the outside it's actually a feel good movie. Was very impressed with the direction and the 2 main lead's. To be honest, thought they were better performances than those who just won Oscars this year.

Hilarious, Joyful and angry!

[augustshettler-03707 · 10/10 · 10 February 2024]

I had so much fun watching this movie the actors all give great performances. You can feel the chemistry between them it's honestly what you think of when you want a really, really good rom-com though it seems disparaging to even call it a rom-com. Kyle Galner has another great performance to add to his recent resume of just awesome performances. Emily skeggs who I wasn't familiar with before this film gives an amazing performance where she creates a character with lots of realism and depth. This is a film where you actually believe the chemistry between the characters. It makes me want the band to be real. The characters to be real. The world and they live in to be real and I think that's the best compliment I can give it. Please go see it. Buy it on physical media when you can and support the creators of this great film.