Film review: dinner in america (2020)
Rehmeier, A. (Director), 2020, Dinner in America [Film]. PsH Collective, Bee-Hive productions LLC, Burn Later Productions, High Frequency Entertainment ,Atlas Industries, Covert Creative Group
This film exemplifies three significant grievances I have with contemporary cinema: firstly, the gratuitous depiction of vomit intended solely for shock value; secondly, the exploitative use of a dead cat; and thirdly, the unnecessary inclusion of pejoratives merely to appear edgy. Despite the inclusion of what I personally regard as the holy trinity of distaste, it’s still somehow one of the most earnest, heart-warmingly swoon-worthy rom-coms that I’ve seen.
Adam Rehmeier’s Dinner in America (2020) provides an opposites attract Rom-com fuelled by anarchy and love. It starts with Simon (played by crowned emo boy actor: Kyle Gallner), an anti-establishment drifter who secretly fronts hardcore punk band “PSYOPS” under the stage name ‘John Q” who is on the run following an arson incident. Simon randomly encounters awkward, disgruntled pet shop employee Patty (Emily Skeggs). Simon schemes and pounces on the idea of using patty to hide him from police. Patty welcomes the attention from someone her age, albeit a dangerously attractive man, and smuggles him into the confines of suburbia.
One of the most compelling scenes is where Simon and Patty write a song in the basement. The pivotal scene also serves as a unique climax through the character’s self-actualisation; When Patty performs, her hidden confidence is unveiled. Simon’s gazes upon her with total admiration, tears clouding his sight, earnestly dissolving the illusory toughness of his character’s exterior. The lovebirds record the track under their new shared credit John and Jane Q, verifying the poetic allure of their bond and thawing my cold sceptical heart (I'm not crying you are).
At first glance, this isn’t a subtle film, but its shift from punk-fuelled chaos to heartfelt romance is surprisingly genuine. Although the leads may appear caricatured, their connection feels disarmingly and invigoratingly truthful. 9/10