American Animals showcases American stupidity

Movie Title:American Animals

Grade:  B+

Rating: R, 120 minutes

In a Nutshell:   The movie starts out with text on the screen that quotes Charles Darwin in The Origin of Species that says, “We must suppose that American animals slowly migrated by successive generations from the outer world into the deeper and deeper recesses of the Kentucky caves.  The movie is based on a true crime story that took place in Kentucky, although the movie was filmed in North Carolina.  It’s a drama, a documentary, and even a comedy, because true life is impossibly ridiculous.

As a movie lover, I thought it was so interesting and funny that the boys began their criminal preparation by doing a Google search for crime tips and watching a bunch of heist movies, forgetting that the criminals almost always make mistakes and get caught.  Who knew a library could inspire such criminal activity?

The power of books.  As an author, I always knew it.

Tips for parents: 

• It shows young men at Transylvania University (yeah, that’s really what it’s called) partying with alcohol and smoking weed while driving.
• The desire for a life altering experiences doesn’t always lead to good things.  The main character said that was what he was looking for.  He admitted that when he grew up, he was always told he was special and could do anything.  We parents need to do a better job of preparing our children for real life and how to make good choices.
• Lots of profanity, including many, many, many F-bombs.
• The boys steal various things on a few occasions. 
• One of the young men makes out with a girl in a bar and grabs her chest.
• There was a momentary flash of responsibility when Spencer didn’t want to go through with the plan because he realized it would hurt his parents.  Too few kids nowadays think about others and how their actions will affect those around them.  We need to teach our children about consequences better.  The real-life Spencer said, “The pain we caused our family wasn’t worth the adventure.”  I’ve always told my kids that if they break the law, I’m not bailing them out of jail, because that’s where they belong.
• You see some of the guys shirtless.   

Uplifting theme: 

• Everyone wants to be special and be a part of something big.
• Our actions have consequences to other people, in addition to ourselves
• Think your plans through
• Family
• Choose your friends wisely

Things I liked:

• You get to see the real people who lived this story.  During the shooting of the movie, the actors weren’t allowed to meet the real people they were playing, because director Bart Layton didn’t want them to change how the actors would portray them.  Bart Layton approached the real guys about the film idea while they were still in prison.
• The story itself is captivating and is directed by Bart Layton in an interesting way.
• The talented cast includes Barry Keoghan, Evan Peters, Blake Jenner, and Jared Abrahamson.
• If you want to see another good movie about a book thief, watch “THE BOOK THIEF.”  (Clever name, eh?)
• Their old man disguises were actually pretty good!
• I thought the scene they imagined in their minds with everyone looking so cool and slick was pretty funny.
• I always love being able to read what happened to the real people at the end of the movie.

Things I didn’t like:

• Such stupidity.  It’s kind of embarrassing that the word “American” is in the title, because it makes American middle-class youth look terribly dumb, selfish, and self-indulgent.
• Why didn’t Warren’s parents ever wander down to the basement in their house to see what he was up to or to at least clean it every once in awhile?  They could have seen the plans on the wall and put the kibosh on the kids’ crazy plan.

Funny lines:

• “I’m losing a sideburn.” – Warren

Interesting lines:

• “Everyone thinks they’re going to win the lottery, but nobody buys a ticket.” – Warren (Evan Peters)
• “Quitters never win and winners never quit.” – Warren’s dad
• “This is your red pill or blue pill moment, my friend.” – Warren (a line from The Matrix)

MOVIE REVIEW MOM

@trinaboice