One consistent theme of Hollywood productions has been that of the American dream, as countless filmmakers have sought to explore the idea that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life. While this topic has led to powerful underdog stories of determined heroes rising to greatness, it’s also an idea that’s easy to criticize as factors of circumstances, idenтιтy, family, and wealth help and hinder a person’s likelihood of making it in the land of the free.

Some of the best movies of all time have explored the idea of the American dream, and tales of poor immigrants, cunning criminals, and tech entrepreneurs have represented both the good and the bad at the heart of this concept. From all-time great directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, the American dream has been at the center of some of the most acclaimed movies ever made. With a culture as complex and divisive as what’s seen in the United States, everyone will have a different opinion on what the American dream actually means.

10

Once Upon A Time In America (1984)

Directed by Sergio Leone

While the Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone may have perfected the spaghetti Western genre with acclaimed releases like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, it was in his sprawling crime epic, Once Upon a Time in America, that he deconstructed the myth of the American dream. By delving into the alluring promise of success and the inevitable corruption that occurs in its pursuit, Leone’s story of Jewish gangsters in New York highlighted the betrayal, loss, and ruthlessness at the core of mobsters’ rise in the criminal underworld.

While a rags-to-riches story, where poor immigrants start from nothing and rise to the top, perfectly captures the idea that anybody can make it in America, the dark consequences of this meant a path of crime, violence, and betrayal. Through incredible performances from the likes of Robert De Niro, James Woods, and Joe Pesci, Once Upon a Time in America stood as Leone’s definitive commentary on the ugly side of power.

9

The King Of Comedy (1982)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

The original ethos behind the concept of the American dream was that anybody, no matter their origins, could find success in the land of the free. However, as time went on, this transformed into a desire for status, recognition, and, most worryingly, fame. It’s out of this context that we should observe Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) in Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy. This brutal critique of the American dream positioned fame as the ultimate success and leaned into the desperation, delusion, and obsession that drives people to seek it.

With De Niro as a wannabe comedian, Pupkin’s belief in his destiny and unstoppable drive to become a star highlight a character who has been well and truly duped by the promise of the American dream. With a delusional sense of enтιтlement, Pupkin lives in an imaginary world and ends up kidnapping the talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis) to try to force his way onto television. Ultimately, Pupkin achieved fame for all the wrong reasons, suggesting that the American dream was not about happiness, hard work, or even talent; it was about getting attention by any means necessary.

8

The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Director Martin Scorsese has explored many facets of the American dream throughout his long and acclaimed career, although none were more outrightly critical than The Wolf of Wall Street. This was a classic example of a film whose core message went right over plenty of viewers’ heads, as Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) was a man to be pitied, not celebrated. While Belfort’s beginnings as a young stockbroker, eager to make a name for himself, felt aspirational, as he began manipulating the system, he did so at the expense of his fellow Americans.

The Wolf of Wall Street highlighted the soulless nature of those who appeared to have achieved the American dream, as Belfort filled his life with mansions, yachts, parties, drugs, and women. When your success is built on fraud, there is no meaning in the wealth you accrue, which was exemplified by Belfort’s consistently seeking purpose through frivolity and excess. While The Wolf of Wall Street often glorifies Belfort and doesn’t outright condemn his behavior, the film is a satire of the American dream and the sadness at the core of people who buy into the idea that wealth is all there is.

7

The Social Network (2010)

Directed by David Fincher

While cinematic critiques of the American dream used to deal with corrupt gangsters and those who find themselves overtaken by the allure of seedy lives of crime, in a modern context, this can be equally applied to the world of tech and the dark side of ambition in the digital age. This was certainly the case for the self-made billionaire Mark Zuckerberg and the fascinating story of Facebook’s origins seen in The Social Network.

Through a career-defining performance from Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network reflected a classic American dream story as Zuckerberg starts with a simple idea for a social networking site that was initially based on rating his fellow female student’s attractiveness and ends up with one of the most successful websites of all time. However, the story of Zuckerberg’s success was also rife with alienation, betrayal, and backstabbing as the pursuit of the American dream trumped friendship and trust and left a string of broken relationships in its wake.

6

The Brutalist (2024)

Directed by Brady Corbet

As the тιтle suggests, The Brutalist was a truly brutal reflection of the American dream as a Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust emigrant to the United States tries to carve out a new life for himself. With Adrien Brody as László Tóth, this immensely talented man carries horrific memories of his time at the Buchenwald concentration camp and must start his journey alone as he waits for years for his estranged wife to join him. It was appropriate that Tóth was an architect, as The Brutalist focused on the challenges of rebuilding meaning from the remnants of a shattered past.

While aspiration was at the heart of Tóth’s story, The Brutalist highlighted how his immigrant status positions him on the lower echelons of society as he must concede to the wills of the wealthy to get by. With a crippling drug addiction and endless blockades standing in his way, Tóth struggles at every hurdle as the promise of wealth and happiness at the core of the American dream always appears just out of reach. With 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, The Brutalist was a masterful exploration of the immigrant experience in post-World War II American society.

5

Rocky (1976)

Directed by John G. Avildsen

While so many explorations of the American dream focus on the corrupt nature of those consumed by its promise, Rocky was one of the few examples of a hopeful representation of the land of the free. As cinema’s definitive underdog story, Rocky Balboa’s journey from a small-time boxer and debt collector to taking part in a fight against the heavyweight champion of the world highlighted the power of resilience and determination. With a never-give-up atтιтude, the training montages in Rocky showcased a man on a mission to fulfill his dreams.

Although Rocky highlighted the system’s flaws, as Apollo Creed only provides Rocky the opportunity to fight in the first place as a publicity stunt, it also showcased that being in the right place at the right time can have extraordinary benefits. While it’s true that Rocky did not win his fight at the end of the movie, this conclusion was an inspirational example of what can be gained through hardship. Rocky may not have taken the тιтle, but he proved to himself and everyone that he could go the distance, and self-belief was more important than winning or losing.

4

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Directed by Baz Luhrmann

Few stories encapsulate the American dream better than The Great Gatsby, the great American novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which was stylishly adapted for the screen in 2013 by Baz Luhrmann. With Leonardo DiCaprio as the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby, this iconic character was trapped by the seductive and tragic nature of the pursuit of wealth in the United States and the inevitable disillusionment that comes with it.

The Great Gatsby embodied the idea that anyone could achieve greatness in the United States, although Gatsby’s one true desire to be reunited with Daisy Buchanan was where he was forced to confront the limits of his power. As a man who lived in an idealized version of the past and was driven by nostalgia for a time that never truly existed, Gatsby’s green light highlighted how trading personal fulfillment for material gain will always mean that no matter how much money you have, happiness will always be just out of reach.

3

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)

Directed by Frank Capra

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington captured the idealism of the American dream and the importance of everyday people standing up for what they believe in. From the all-time great director Frank Capra and starring the everyman icon James Stewart, it’s hard to think of two people better suited to present a vision of what America stands for than these men. While Mr. Smith Goes to Washington did not shy away from the corruption and self-interest within the U.S. political system, its ultimate message was that honesty and decency could prevail.

Telling the story of a newly appointed United States senator (Stewart) who is unwilling to be walked on by corrupt government officials, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington saw Smith determined to do what was right even if it ruined his political career. While the American dream represents the innate values of Americans, Stewart’s performance highlighted that it can only be maintained if people continue to fight for it.

2

There Will Be Blood (2007)

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

The greed, ruthlessness, and destruction at the root of many American dream success stories were brutally deconstructed in Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. With an astounding performance from Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview, this terrifying villain began with nothing, literally digging in the dirt in search of opportunity. These humble beginnings soon shift as Plainview transforms into a heartless oil baron and signs up for the capitalist game and sheds his humanity in the process.

While There Will Be Blood tapped into the determination needed to achieve success in the United States, it quickly revealed the corrupting power of wealth and those who value success over human connection. Without love and understanding, Plainview’s story showcased the American dream was an empty promise and that even if you achieve everything you ever wanted, without these core values, life will be hollow and victory will feel bleak.

1

The Godfather Part II (1974)

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

While every movie in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather trilogy dealt with the dark side of the American dream, it was The Godfather Part II that perfectly captured its essence. Telling the dual story of Vito Corleone’s (Robert De Niro) humble Sicilian beginnings and eventual rise in the world of crime alongside his son Michael’s (Al Pacino) descent into power and paranoia as the new head of the family, The Godfather Part II highlighted the generational trauma and unstoppable legacy of corruption.

Although Vito’s story, told through flashbacks, showcased his humble beginnings and an almost heroic underdog story of gaining power within a corrupt system, Michael’s journey represents the challenges of holding onto such power through generations. While the American dream was about how anyone can start from nothing and find success, the transfer of this success from one generation to another showcased the dark side of hoarding inherited power. As perhaps the greatest sequel of all time, The Godfather Part II embodied the American dream better than any other film.