Skip to main content

Americana (2025)


Americana (2025) is written and directed by Tony Tost, best known for his work on Longmire. His approach here focuses more on character work than plot, with the script itself being serviceable but not remarkable. Still, it provides a strong platform for the cast to showcase their abilities.

Sydney Sweeney delivers an impressive performance as a waitress with a stutter, bringing nuance and empathy to a role that could have easily felt one-note. It’s one of her more grounded performances and a highlight of the film. You'll remember Syd from her American Eagle commercial.

Halsey is nearly unrecognizable in her role, playing with a fierceness that stands out and proves her versatility outside of music. Her presence commands attention whenever she’s on screen. I was first introduced to her from MGK's music video Forget Me Too.

Eric Dane takes on a villain role and succeeds at being thoroughly hate-able, leaning into his darker side effectively. His work gives the film much of its tension. You'll remember him from Grey's Anatomy.

While the script may only be okay, the cast elevates it with committed and memorable performances. It becomes less about the story and more about the acting showcase, which works in its favor. Result: B+

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Freakier Friday (2025)

Freakier Friday (2025) is directed by Nisha Ganatra and written by Elyse Hollander and Jordan Weiss . The writing is the weakest aspect of the film, leaning into a fantasy of having it all: a dream career, a perfect love interest, motherhood, and a magically open and understanding teenager. Both writers are relatively new and this might just be a learning curve. Ganatra isn't new to film, but had more success in television. Jamie Lee Curtis , known for Halloween (1978) and Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) , overacts in her role, leaning too heavily into physical comedy. Lindsay Lohan , best known for Mean Girls (2004) , also struggles to find the right balance between charm and believability. Julia Butters, who stood out in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) , and Sophia Hammons , from Under Wraps (2021) , do much better, giving grounded and heartfelt performances that carry the emotional weight of the film. The movie is just okay, with a final act that saves it fr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)

  Five Nights at Freddy's is an adaptation of a children's horror video game.  With a relatively unknown director, Emma Tammi , the film relies on its source material,  Scott Cawthon, and creative liberties, Seth Cuddeback . There was some poor dialogue in some of the character-building and exposition scenes but the film allows you to suspend your disbelief.  Josh Hutcherson plays Mike the main character who's just trying to take care of his sister played by Piper Rubio . You might remember Josh from The Hunger Games  as Peeta. He tries to carry the movie and does a mediocre job in doing so. He's still a one-note-Andy. He does have a sort of unspoken romance with Elizabeth Lail's character. Elizabeth has this sort of look that Mackenzie Davis really pioneered and a first I thought she was mimicking her. She does tend to over-act a tad but that might be due to her TV background and inexperienced director.  The CG was good, didn't see anything outstanding th...
Post a Comment
Read more