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American Dreamer  (1984)

American Dreamer
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
PG
Theatrical Feature Running Time:
105 mins

Theatrical Release Information:
American Dreamer

In this farcical look at a female detective/mystery story writer, Cathy Palmer (JoBeth Williams) is an ordinary housewife living in Ohio with a condescending husband who is far from ideal. When Cathy wins a writing contest and has the chance to go to Paris and meet the author of the romance novels she loves, her husband tries to prevent the trip. In the end, Cathy's interests prevail, though her husband still refuses to go with her. After arriving in Paris, Cathy is knocked down by a car and wakes up in the hospital with all memory of her past life erased. In its place, she believes she is Rebecca Ryan, the heroine in the romance novels she has read. Carrying her unconscious role to the hilt, she dresses in elegant clothes and meets the comically rattled Alan McMann (Tom Conti) who becomes her partner, of sorts. Little does she know that Alan is not Rebecca's secretary, but the actual ghost writer of the Ryan novels. Cathy begins to suspect that villains are lurking everywhere, and her intuition in that regard is unerring -- she has doubts about the klutzy leader of the French opposition party (Giancarlo Giannini), and it turns out her doubts are well-founded. As the plot thickens, it becomes apparent that sooner or later Cathy-cum-Rebecca will have to realize the truth about her identity, but in the meantime, much skullduggery awaits. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide


American Dreamer Trivia

Who played Cathy Palmer in the movie American Dreamer?
JoBeth Williams played Cathy Palmer in the movie American Dreamer

Who played Alan McMann in the movie American Dreamer?
Tom Conti played Alan McMann in the movie American Dreamer

Who played Victor Marchand in the movie American Dreamer?
Giancarlo Giannini played Victor Marchand in the movie American Dreamer

Who played Margaret McMann in the movie American Dreamer?
Coral Browne played Margaret McMann in the movie American Dreamer

Who played Kevin Palmer in the movie American Dreamer?
James Staley played Kevin Palmer in the movie American Dreamer

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Portions of Content Provided by All Movie Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.© 2008 All Media Guide, LLC.