Share this @internewscast.com
“Americana” poster featuring Sydney Sweeney.
Lionsgate
Sydney Sweeney’s new dark crime comedy Americana is new in theaters this weekend. How are Rotten Tomatoes critics reacting to the film amid the actor’s American Eagle commercial controversy?
Written and directed by Tony Tost, Americana opens in limited release in theaters on Friday. The film surrounds a rare Native American artifact and how various groups clash to gain possession of it.
The official summary for Americana reads, “After the artifact falls onto the black market, a shy waitress with big dreams (Sydney Sweeney) teams up with a lovelorn military veteran (Paul Walter Hauser) to gain possession of it, putting themselves of the crosshairs of a ruthless criminal (Eric Dane) working on behalf of a Western antiquities dealer (Simon Rex).
“Bloodshed ensues when others join the battle, including the leader of an indigenous group (Zahn McClarnon) and a desperate woman fleeing her mysterious past (Halsey).”
As of Thursday, Rotten Tomatoes critics have given Americana an 83% “fresh” rating based on 18 reviews. RT’s Consensus, audience summary and Popcornmeter score based on verified user ratings are still pending.
How Are Individual Critics Reacting To ‘Americana’?
Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times is among the top critics on RT who gives Americana a “fresh” rating, calling the film in his review summary “a slick and skillful debut feature from the writer-director Tony Tost.”
Valerie Complex of Deadline Hollywood Daily also gives Americana a “fresh” rating on RT, writing, “Tony Tost’s direction manages to avoid the common pitfalls first-time directors encounter by overcomplicating things, but the director keeps it simple by letting characters work within their frame.”
Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter is also lauding Americana, writing in his “fresh” review summary on RT, “[Tony] Tost’s portrayal of characters driven by unfettered greed or justifiable need gives voice to often-ignored segments of society as they strive for agency and respect — an admirable quality in any narrative genre.”
Among Americana’s detractors on RT is Johnny Oleksinski of The New York Post, who calls the film in his “rotten” review summary “a copycat Coen Brothers yarn with the depth of a tortilla.”
Also giving the film a “rotten” review on RT is Tim Grierson of Screen International, who writes, “Americana wants to present forgotten everyday people who possess endearingly unusual traits. But Tost’s writing is not sharp enough to allow his characters to rise above their mannerisms.”
Nick Schager of The Daily Beast also slams Americana in his rotten review summary on RT, calling the film “a sluggish and monotonous country-ified neo-noir that fails to innovate and, worse, to utilize its magnetic leading lady and her capable co-stars.”
Rated R, Americana, starring Sydney Sweeney, Paul Walter Hauser and Halsey, opens in limited release in theaters on Friday.
