American Dreamer

A wonderful move that went without notice. I saw this movie on the "Thumbs up" from the (late)Gene Siskel & Roger Ebert. This movie was worth every second of my time as it will be yours. The two kid actors steal the show in the very beginning part of the move but Jo Beth Williams' true acting talent shines as one is drawn into and completely engrossed by her character. Tom Conti plays his part with comic straight-man perfection. The rest of the supporting cast were chosen and play their parts with true flair. A special note should be given to Jean Rougerie (who plays, Don Carlos). His role is enacted with just the right amount of worry. I showed this to a friend of mine and it instantly became her favorite film. Watch and enjoy.

Catherine Palmer, (JoBeth Williams) a frustrated housewife who dreams of being a mystery writer enters and wins a contest to write a chapter for an upcoming installment in the Rebecca Ryan detective series. The comedic element is developed once she arrives in Paris though the multiple vehicles of amnesia, mistaken identity, and a madcap roller coaster ride through a steadily thickening plot involving real criminals and real crime. The first time I encountered this movie, I stumbled upon it during the airport scene near the end. Female friends told me this was the worst possible point to start, so I re-watched it from the beginning. It still left a bad taste. Although Kevin Palmer (James Staley) is boring, overly absorbed in his career and inattentive to his wife and her dreams, his 'sins' aren't fleshed out to a point where you really feel he deserves the loss of family and (As unlikely as it seems) the removal of his children to a foreign country. Alan McMann, (Tom Conti) while far more engaging, is a similarly hollow character. Both appear to be simply foils in what is ultimately a very predictable 1980's era girls' empowerment tale.

Tom Conti is adorable, JoBeth Williams hysterical. Script is brilliant. Paris is shown off beautifully. I've been watching it for 35 years and it still makes me laugh. Love it. Do yourself a favor (if you have a sense of humor!)

I totally agree with the comments already listed regarding this movie. I loved the original plot and the characters were great. Paris is my favourite city in the world and whenever I go back there I can picture Rebecca running around trying to do what she does best. I've watched it so many times my tape is almost about to give up. Unfortunately it has been deleted and I would dearly love to see it released on DVD format. Copies of it sell on ebay but it is hard to win one due to the popularity of the movie. I did win one but the tape condition is not much better than my own. I really don't understand why it has been deleted. Everyone I have shown the movie to has fallen in love with it and I am sure it would be an instant hit if re-released.

This is a movie for anyone who ever dreamed of adventure, anyone who ever dreamed of getting more out of life, or anyone who enjoys watching JoBeth Williams. Cathy Palmer (JoBeth Williams) is about as bored as a housewife can be. Her husband, Kevin (James Staley), is a successful executive who cares more about his job than he does about her. She treasures a secret desire to write detective novels like the ones she enjoys about Rebecca Ryan. Kevin treats her desire with amused condescension and insists that his needs come ahead of her desires. Fortunately, her sons, Kevin, Jr. (Christopher Daniel Barnes) and Karl (Huckleberry Fox), are more sympathetic and help her try to run things the way Kevin Sr. wants them. This unhappy balance changes when Cathy enters a contest to come up with a short story based on the Rebecca Ryan character. To her delight, she wins. To her even greater delight, first prize is a trip to Paris. Delight turns to horror when Kevin insists that she turn down the prize, as it would be unseemly for an executive's wife to go off without him for any extended period of time. Cathy, however, has other ideas, and with her sons' help, she heads off for Paris. Once there, she gets into an accident which renders her unconscious. When she comes to, she thinks she is Rebecca Ryan, and starts behaving as though she were the literary detective. Strangely enough, this leads into an actual case, and along the way she meets French minister Victor Marchand (Giancarlo Giannini), and author Alan McCann (Tom Conti), who actually authors the Rebecca Ryan books under a pseudonym. All is going surprisingly well when Kevin shows up, identifying her as Cathy Palmer, and demanding that she come home. Will she? Or will she stay in Paris and solve the case she has gotten herself into? This movie is a heck of a lot of fun. The pacing is fast, and even when it slows down a bit, it never loses the viewer. The juxtaposition of fantasy and reality works especially well in that you find yourself buying into the fantasy, even though you know it's not real. And there are plenty of surprises waiting for the viewer. The acting is delightful. JoBeth Williams displays an absolute genius for comic acting. Her timing is impeccable. Tom Conti makes a delightful, if a bit unorthodox, leading man. Giancarlo Giannini's suave demeanor works perfectly in his part. Likewise, James Staley's stiffness is perfect for the boring husband. Both Christopher Daniel Barnes and Huckleberry Fox do a nice job of creating boys that you can't help liking. Their loyalty to their mother is touching. All in all, a really fun package, well worth investing the time in.

This is a marvelous but pretty much undiscovered film from the 1980s that somehow "slipped under the radar"--getting little attention at its release. And this is a great shame, as it's a charming and funny film about a romance writer that will appeal to both men and women. JoBeth Williams plays a frustrated woman who reads a lot of romance novels--particularly those involving a character named "Rebecca Ryan". She wins a trip to go to France, but her selfish husband doesn't want to go even though it's free (what a jerk), so she goes without him. However, once there, she is hit on the head (a familiar plot device, I know) and she believes she IS Rebecca Ryan!! This Rebecca Ryan is sort of like James Bond and Jessica Fletcher combined and she insists she is on the trail of a crime. However, she soon meets the actual person who writes the Rebecca Ryan stories and HE recognizes everything she is saying as coming from the books HE wrote (yep--the author is a guy writing under a pen name and uses his mother to pose as her). He (played by Tom Conti) realizes she's a very disturbed woman, but JoBeth Williams is SO convincing as Ms. Ryan that people don't believe him and think she really is an international woman of mystery and battler of evil!!! Where the script goes from here is amazing and silly--especially because JoBeth actually finds herself tied up in a REAL international assassination plot! It is a highly amusing film that is both a "chick flick" and a lot of fun for guys in the audience as well.

I saw this movie on t.v one day and I couldn't believe how wonderful JoBeth was in it. This movie is one of my favorites. I particularly love the scene under the table at the embassy dinner.It's too bad we never got to see more of her in comedy roles. Truly charming character. The timing is perfect and the other characters also hilarious. Very good light entertainment. I have probably watched it a dozen times over the years. It is comedy as well as being truly romantic to me. My favorite romances are when a guy is charmed by the personality of the girl, instead of swept away by her looks etc...like in Blowout where Travolta is listening the girl talk int he restaurant....he is completely taken with how sweet and charming she is.

This has endured as one of my favorite movies for twenty years now. I like the fact that the movie has no sex, extreme violence, cussing or degradation that is common in today's films. The film is a romantic comedy with a believable heroine. Its underlying theme is to not settle in life and give up your dreams. Or at least, this is what I get out of this movie. I also really like the Paris back drop and the 80's couture outfits. I don't what speaks to me about this movie, but when I am having an off day it is one of the first movies I will reach for and slip into its story.

I should start by saying that I am pretty easily entertained. I am also a sucker for a romantic comedy. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I thought that JoBeth Williams was absolutely adorable. She was so fun to watch. The directing was very clever. When Rebecca is trying to communicate to Victor that he is in danger and resorts to semaphore with her wrap, I just about lose it every time. If your looking for a light-hearted, romantic comedy, they don't come cuter than this. I would love to see this movie come out on DVD. It would be a welcome addition to my collection. Until then, I'll just have to settle for watching it on the the old Video Cassette Recorder.

It's nice to see that virtually everyone who reviewed American Dreamer loved it and that so many consider it to be a favorite. I couldn't agree more with the other reviews and immediately bought a copy after my first viewing. I won't go into details of the plot, which I hate to do anyway, but will comment on one criticism appearing in another review. Sure, the outcome is predictable -- BUT the way the the movie gets there is NOT. After all, every plot has been done to death. It is the originality of the story line that raises this movie to a higher level. Not only is it highly original and smartly scripted, it is also charming, romantic, funny, beautifully directed, photographed, and acted -- an all-round perfect movie. And as I am always eager to point out, this movie is hilarious -- with hilarious performances and episodes -- without having to resort to gratuitous sex, foul language, and nudity. It simply could not be better (and the beautiful Paris locations only enhance the overall perfection of the film). I say this not to project myself as a prude (which I probably am to some degree) because I also loved Pulp Fiction, but to make the point that movies don't have to be gross, juvenile, and smutty to be funny.