The American Dream: An Ideal Conveyed Through "American" Films

            Shaping culture was an important part of the post War of 1812 era to legitimize America as an independent nation... independent from Europe and more specifically, independent from Great Britain. 

 But what is “American?”  The word “American” is used often as an adjective to describe something that is from America, to designate identity.  And identity as Americans works to help us understand who we are and where we came from. Identity is an important aspect in understanding who we are. Even if we are using hyphenated descriptions, such as Italian-American of African-American, we are all still connected as American.

 Pop culture cements these ideas of "American" by describing what we are ingesting culturally. More recent cultural forms, such as films, have used the word “American” within its title, designating it as something of American culture.   Films such as American Graffiti, The American President, and An American Crime all denote they are American in nature and thus have an “American” identity.  But what is that American identity that is common to all three of these films?  Remembering that America is the “land of opportunity,” we can more easily identify the common theme of these “American” films.  Each of these films has the theme of opportunity and the attempts to ensure a better future through that opportunity that only America offers.

            The film American Graffiti released in 1973 deals with the unknown future of four recent high school graduates and the opportunities that they may or may not decide to pursue.  The film follows the four teens as they spend the last night of summer together before one of them is scheduled to leave for college.  The four boys, each through their own adventure, ponder what the future may hold.  All four boys struggle with decisions regarding their prospects, especially Curt (Richard Dreyfus) and Steve (Ron Howard) who look back at their high school days throughout the night in an effort to see what may be ahead of them.  Curt opens the film discussing his reservations about leaving for college with his best friend Steve.  Steve, of course, sees the enrollment into a large out-of-town university as a way out of this “turkey town.”  He says to Curt, “Do you want to end up like John.  You just can’t stay seventeen forever.”  Steve is referring to John Milner (Paul LeMat), whose only future goal is to keep the title of the fastest drag-racer without getting himself killed.  Although this goal is not one most would set for themselves, this is what John sees as his chance for a better future for himself, being the best at what he does, and using that reputation to help establish himself as a good mechanic.  Terry (Charlie Martin Smith), the fourth of the friends, also only looks to his immediate goals in trying to better his future, especially since he lacks the self-confidence to push himself further.  Terry, nicknamed “Toad,” is the classic nerd and just wants to be popular with the girls, cruising in a cool car, and thinks his opportunities lie in becoming “cool.” Although each boy sees his path to a better future in a very different way, it is undeniably the theme of the film...  the pursuit of the American Dream, whatever that may be for each young adult.

            The obvious connection to America in our second film, The American President, released in 1995, is the fact that the President of the United States is the leader of the American democratic government; however, this film connects to the American identity similarly to American Graffiti because of the characters’ choices in trying to ensure a better future.  The President, Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas), is facing an election year and must make a difficult decision in an attempt to secure his reelection, thus ensuring his own future.  At the beginning of the film, Shepherd’s popularity rating is at a positive 63%, but he engages in a relationship with liberal lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening) which causes his rival (ironically also played by Richard Dreyfus)  to question his character and his family values in a mud-slinging campaign.  In an effort to ascertain the votes needed by Congress to pass the crime bill, which Shepherd is certain will ensure his Presidential victory, he hurts Wade both personally and professionally.  However, his true character overtakes him as he realizes being President is “entirely about character” and he lends his support to the environmental bill instead of the poorly put together crime bill which was not designed well enough to effectively prevent crime. His realization that he needs to fight the fights worth fighting as opposed to simply fighting the fights he can win shows that Shepherd has real honor.  The movie concludes before we know how this decision affects the election, but we know he ultimately does the right thing, and thus ensures his future as a man who has integrity and deserves respect, revealing that the American Dream can be pursued with virtue as the founding fathers intended.

            The third film, An American Crime, released in 2007, reveals the dark side which can appear in human nature when one attempts to secure a better future at all costs.  Gertrude Baniszewski (Catherine Keener) agrees to babysit Sylvia Likens (Ellen Page) and her sister while their parents are on a carnival circuit.   However, Gertrude is already spread too thin.  Gertrude is a single mother of six children ranging in age from sixteen to six months, struggles with money issues, and suffers with severe asthma which she attempts to self-medicate with Coricidin and Phenobarbital.  Unfortunately for Sylvia, Gertrude transfers her anger and frustration onto Sylvia and ultimately blames her for her own teenage daughter Paula’s pregnancy.  She even confesses to Sylvia as she tries to justify the abuse, “I am doing everything I can to keep my family together.  I want something better for Paula… I need to protect my children.”  Gertrude believes that punishing Sylvia will ultimately improve her own family’s situation and provide them with better opportunities.   The fact that this idea is completely unrealistic does not undermine the ultimate theme of American identity defined by the film’s title.

            The ideal of American identity follows that America is the country of opportunity, and all have that opportunity to pursue the "American dream."  All Americans have that opportunity to improve their lives and ensure a better future.  These films, with the word “American” in their title, follow that theme by stressing the chances of improving one’s life and pondering the future opportunities afforded them as Americans, whether it is through a look back at one’s life in an effort to foresee what may come, whether through self-discovery and integrity, or through any means necessary regardless of who is hurt in the process.  This quest for the American Dream has been a recurring theme throughout American history, from the early days of the Republic right through to today as proven through these Hollywood offerings.