Following the end of the North Bend Film Festival on October 11th, Adam Rehmeier’s Dinner in America was announced as the winner of the festival’s Audience Award.
“I’m thrilled Dinner in America resonated with NIGHTSTREAM’s audience the way it did, that this film is bringing people some much-needed respite from the chaos of 2020,” said Adam Rehmeier when accepting his award. “Thank you to all of the people who have reached out to share how deeply they’ve connected with Patty and Simon. Your words are the cure for the pandemic blues…”
The movie stars Kyle Gallner, Emily Skeggs, Mary Anderson, and is about ‘an on-the-lam punk rocker and a young woman obsessed with his band unexpectedly fall in love and go on an epic journey together through America’s decaying Midwestern suburbs.’- IMDB.
Local Carol Morrison, and her grandkids Sophie and Dylan, watched and reviewed this one for Living Snoqualmie.
Dylan-14
Dinner in America is an entertaining movie. I felt very attached to the main characters, Simon and Patty. Throughout the film, you can see their character arcs. It has some hilarious moments and some sweet ones. It left me in a good mood. I found the love story less cliched than many others, which was very refreshing. I can say this is one of my favorite comedies that I’ve watched.
Sophie-17
Dinner in America is a fresh take on the saying “opposites attract.” With a perfect balance of Patty’s innocence and desires and the morally ambiguous misfit Simon, viewers should get ready for a hilarious and cathartic ride. The costume design beautifully maps out, through subtle changes, the couple’s individual arcs throughout the movie. This wonderfully intense romance leaves the audience with intelligent commentary on individualism, societal stereotypes, and self-discovery.
Carol-Ageless
Horror is not my preferred genre. I looked forward to watching Dinner in America mostly because I’d be watching it with my film-savvy, teenaged grandchildren.
Dinner in America, a dark teenage rom-com about Simon, a punk rocker arsonist, and Patty, a social misfit, kept me watching because Emily Skeggs delivered such a stunning performance as Patty and because I’d read earlier that the film eventually developed some redemptive themes. Other than that, I tired of Simon’s incessant rage and his constantly screaming the F word in as many public places as possible. I found the film mostly forgettable, except for Patty, and she’ll stay with me for a while.
This film is not yet available to stream, nor has it been released in theaters. However, even Oscar winners first premiere at film festivals. These festivals allow producers to sell to distributors and eventually land in cinema chains.
Some festivals, such as Sundance, give films a greater chance of a distribution deal than perhaps a smaller operation such as the North Bend Festival. This film did premiere at Sundance, which may allow for a broader audience in the future. Thank you to Carol, Sophia and Dylan for watching it for us!
