By Forris Day Jr.
“The American Dreamer” is a 1970 documentary focusing on the strange life of actor/director Dennis Hopper. The film was shot a year after Hopper had risen to stardom in the counterculture motorcycle film “Easy Rider”. In the documentary we follow Dennis as he is editing his own film called “The Last Movie” which went on to flop. At least he made his own movie and didn’t give up so for that he gets a high five. Well, OK, I’d have to dig him up to give him a high five and his finger bones would probably fly all over the room if I did, but you get the idea. We get an inside peek into his drug filled life and of his wacky entourage of wasted hippies. Seriously…these folks are gonzo and all hanging out with Dennis Hopper in his house while he is finishing up his film. To each his own.
The documentary is all over the place, as far as story goes, with odd edits. Back then, I suppose, you made your edit and had to pretty much live with it unlike today in our age of glorious non-linear editing. It is an interesting film because it is documenting an early part of Hoppers life but at the same time it’s a little to “artsy” for me. I found myself struggling to get through it. Watching Hopper’s antics was like watching a car crash. He made zero sense at times and at other times offered some pretty good insight.
The hippies he was hanging with, most of which probably don’t remember hanging with him, were so stoned it was kind of funny watching them. I mean how do you get that wasted anyhow? I can’t imagine living like that so I guess it made me feel uncomfortable watching others live that way. That could explain why I couldn’t wait till this documentary ended.
On the positive side the packaging is well done. It contains a BluRay disc and a DVD disc. The case is clear and the paper sleeve is reversible so that you can choose which cover you like best for display. It comes packaged with a 14 page or so booklet filled with info and pictures. I did enjoy reading that. In the end, I did not care for the film itself but I am happy that this movie has been preserved for posterity because there are tons of Dennis Hopper fans who will love this presentation. It just isn’t my cup of tea.
Rating: 5/10 – “Dude, where’s my car?”
