Detroit Michigan is the setting for the extrovert and introvert nerd paring of Simon (Kyle Gallner) and Patty ( Emily Skeggs) in Dinner In America. The film opens with Simon volunteering for human trails for minimal pay. His only other two forms of income are selling his blood and dealing drugs. He is also the lead singer for a passionate punk band Psyops that sports a small but very loyal following. However, Simon is anonymous pure to his craft always wearing a mask when performing as alter ego John Q Public. Patty is working on clean up duty at a pet store and not doing that job well. When she is not being bullied by her peers she's in her room listening to Psyops indulging in a strange intimate ritual when she gets worked up. The pair meet when Simon running from the cops for yet another act of pyromania gets her assistance to avoid the cops. Simon heads to her home seeing it as a perfect hideout where the cops would never find him.
Simon comes off as the punk rock anarchist. He's the king of the dinner table referring to friends dads by their first names and snarling at other patrons and staff in diners and burger joints. We see the first inkling of his real nature when a couple of bullies bothering Patty accept his challenger for a fight then we see him at his own family table where he gets smaller and smaller as the insults towards him fly.
Galllner shines in the role of Simon. He is punk to the core but willing to see the best qualities in a perceived misfit like Patty. He will not stand for her being bullied and demands that she treats herself with dignity and respect. It's a strong physical performance where Gallner often expresses his mood with the raise of an eyebrow, hand gesture or a scowl. Emily Skeggs is a delight as Patty. She is half a step behind but blissfully unaware of the common knowledge she does not possess always remaining positive hoping for and expecting the best outcome.
Dinner In America is the latest twist on the alienated youth theme. Here Michigan is the setting as we follow an odd young woman immersed in her love of punk music. Outward appearances and personas are not always what they seem in this Punk yet charming tale that I can highly recommend.
***1/2 Out of 4.
Dinner In America | Adam Rehmeier | U.S.A. | 106 Minutes.
Tags: Human Trials, Thanksgiving Dinner, Pyromania, Wanted Poster, Punk Rock, Pet Shop, Drugs, Dub Cassette, Fan Girl, Love Poems, Polaroids, Pill Box, Concert Flyer, The Hawaiian.
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