Dinner In America Movie Review (2020)

Dinner In America is one of my favorite movies of all time. It is wild and offensive and the best punk rock love story you’ll ever find. Sheer perfection.

I watched Dinner In America a few years ago and I fell in love with it instantly. It took me about 20 minutes to get a grip on what I was watching, but I loved every minute and, by the end, my cheeks hurt from smiling. I have watched it multiple times since that day and every time, I prove to myself why I love it so much.

Dinner In America is about Simon, an anonymous punk rock singer in a band (due to his wearing a ski mask while singing), and Patty, a junior college drop out who is obsessed with the band, and the lead singer specifically. In a world of “normal families,” these two oddballs aren’t seen for who they are, but over the course of the movie, you see them and they see each other.

This is a black comedy that aims to shock and surprise you while slowly wiggling its way into your heart. Kyle Gallner’s Simon is tough and intimidating with no interest in consequences or social norms. Emily Skeggs’ Patty is small and often confused, having always been told that she isn’t very smart. But when they come together, those are the pieces of them that start to shine.

The entire movie is brash and hilarious (I always laugh a lot), but when you eventually get to a scene where music is created, magic happens. These two actors spark in a way that cracks your heart open and everything makes sense. And yes, the song, “Watermelon,” is on my Spotify playlist.

Don’t be surprised if after watching this you begin telling people to take it down a notch. Or when something is fantastic, that it’s tits. But let’s be clear, that is the biggest compliment there is.

You may know Kyle Gallner from the Smile movies and various other horror films, and Emily Skeggs from the Tony Award winning musical Fun Home (where she was nominated for a Tony for Best Featured Actress In A Musical), but you may not recognize them in this film. Simon and Patty are each something else.

I am not exaggerating when I say that I have never seen another movie like Dinner In America. It is as unique as they come, and clearly low budget, as almost every scene takes place in someone’s house, at an arcade, on a bus, in a shop, or outside. But it didn’t need a large budget. This movie isn’t about anything big. It is about two incredibly different people who come together where, somehow, and in some unexplainable way, with a ridiculous world around them, something hilariously beautiful emerges.

Runtime: 107 minutes

Motion Picture Rating: R

Languages Spoken In The Film: English

Should You Watch It? Yes, definitely

Did I Cry? No, but my cheeks hurt from smiling

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

Available: Free on Hulu or Roku, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms