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Aug 9, 2024 · What’s the best movie about the American Dream? Is it a heartwarming rags-to-riches story or a consumed-by-greed cautionary tale? Vote up the movies you think encapsulate the American Dream.
Nov 15, 2016 · 10 Films That Represent The American Dream. American Cinema | © Anthony Majanlahti/Flickr. Emma Murphy 15 November 2016. The American Dream tells you that you can achieve success through hard work and determination. What follows is a selection of movies that shows it’s not always as simple as that. Pleasantville.
Jun 12, 2024 · The American Dream is all about proving anyone can succeed through hard work and determination. Many movies reflect this notion, narrating the journeys of people who start with little and go on to conquer their pursuits.
- 10 Hustle & Flow
- 9 Minari
- 8 Dolemite Is My Name
- 7 The Founder
- 6 Revolutionary Road
- 5 The Pursuit of Happyness
- 4 The Great Gatsby
- 3 of Mice and Men
- 2 MA Rainey’s Black Bottom
- 1 A Streetcar Named Desire
Terrance Howard puts on quite a show in this redemptive drama as Djay, a hustler and pimp living in Memphis. Working with a stable of three sex workers wasn’t enough to bring food to the table, and while Djay had a gift for rhyming, his dreams of success and becoming an emcee were too out of reach. In a burst of inspiration, he decided to trade in ...
Minari is a tender and moving portrait of a Korean-American family trying to make the most of the opportunities laid out before them while carving out a little life and a new home on an Arkansas farm in the 1980s. Written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung, the movie is led by Steven Yeun’s Jacob, a man determined to succeed in farming an untested cro...
As a biographical comedy set in 1970s LA, the period film holds no bars in its representation of the era. From foul-mouthed humor and black culture to catchy tunes and pure showmanship, Dolemite Is My Nameis a trailblazer that forges a path to success and fame on its own terms. In the center of it is Rudy Ray Moore, the godfather of rap and undergr...
Starring Michael Keaton in one of his most ruthless roles, The Founderis the true story of how McDonald’s rose to dominance at a time when America needed it the most. Keaton’s Ray Kroc was nothing but a multimixer salesman until he noticed a small burger business bagging in thousands of customers and making deliveries in less than 30 seconds. Seein...
Revolutionary Road follows the 1950s couple, Frank and April Wheeler, as they struggle to come to terms with the breakdown of their marriage. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in their second on-screen collaboration (with some imagining this film to be the sad sequel to Titanicif the couple had lived), this romantic drama rips away the fa...
Achieving success against the odds is one of the core principles of the American Dream, and this is embodied through the life of Chris Gardner. Based on the real account of Gardner’s time as a homeless salesman, The Pursuit of Happyness depicts the battles he faced in attempting to form a successful career while also caring for his young son. Force...
The Great Gatsby explores the consequences of materialism that derives from the pursuit of the American Dream and is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's famous book, which many consider to be 'the great American novel.' Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Spider-Man's Tobey Maguire, this period romance follows the extravagant life of a millionaire, Jay Gatsb...
Working-class men struggled in the 20th century, but when it came to the American ideal, no one dreamed bigger. Of Mice and Men focuses on two farm workers, George and the intellectually disabled Lennie, who chase the dream of one day buying their own land. Pushed into a crowded space with thousands of others trying to find success, the Dream convi...
Starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman in his final film role, this biographical drama recounts a turbulent recording session with influential blues singer Ma Rainey during 1920s Chicago. Not long after the Civil War and brimming with inequality, America was a hostile place to be for Black individuals, and their imposed American Dream meant forg...
A Streetcar Named Desire tells the story of Blanche DuBois, a southern belle who leaves her aristocratic background to live with her sister, Stella, and her husband, Stanley. Starring the Oscar-winning Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando at the top of his game, this Southern gothic drama shows the steady decline of the American Dream ideal, with Blanche...
- Spring Breakers (2012) You might be thinking that this list is a pretty heavily focused on male interpretations of the American dream. I think that’s because, at its most basic conception, the Dream is inherently tied up into our notions of traditional masculinity, where the man of the house is still obligated to be the primary bread winner.
- Easy Rider (1969) One of the earliest films of the New Hollywood era, this classic counterculture film is also one of the most interesting critiques of the American Dream.
- The Great Gatsby (2013) Tony Montana might have had a copy of The Great Gatsby on the boat over from Cuba. This classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, on which the 2013 film is based, features the same simplification of the male American Dream.
- Scarface (1983) The tagline of the film pretty much says it all. “He loved the American Dream. With a vengeance.” Tony Montana earns his American Dream, not through hard work, but through violence.
Nov 29, 2022 · The American Dream has such a powerful influence over the American psyche, many films have been made about its pursuit. Some, like Wall Street and The Great Gatsby, glorifying wealth and...
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Dec 19, 2023 · Movies about the American Dream portray the pursuit of success and prosperity through hard work and sacrifice. These films showcase both the rewards and the challenges associated with the American Dream. Themes explored in these movies include success in the face of adversity, sacrifice for a better life, and the dark side of ambition.
