- Format: NTSC
- Studio: Mca (Universal)
- Release Date: Sep 21 2004
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B0002T2Z0M
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#10,356 in DVD (See Top 100 in DVD)
- #2 in DVD > TV Shows > TV Series > TV Series By Letter > A > American Dreams
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Product Description
From Amazon.com
The 2002 first season of American Dreams introduced one of the more ambitious new dramas on a major television network since the debut of The West Wing. Deceptively nostalgic, American Dreams looks, at first blush, like a bone tossed to baby boomers who remember black and white TV, American Bandstand, and what class they were in when word spread of JFK's assassination. But the more one watches the show, the more apparent it becomes that American Dreams is not about memories but about bringing a pivotal chapter in 20th century U.S. history to life--sometimes electrifyingly so.
The series pilot, set just before and on the day of Kennedy's murder, introduces Philadelphia family the Pryors, white, middle-class Catholics whose stern but not undiscerning patriarch, Jack (Tom Verica), gets an earful one night over dinner. Eldest son J.J. (Will Estes), a star running back at high school and candidate for a Notre Dame football scholarship, announces he's leaving the sport, feeling unappreciated for his mind and inspired by Kennedy's outreach to young people. Teenage daughter Meg (Brittany Snow) allows that she'll be dancing on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. Jack's wife, Helen (Gail O'Grady), later lets fly that she's moving on from her boring book club to spend time with a new friend, a feminist academic (Virginia Madsen), and strongly hints that she's done with adding more babies to their brood of four. The times are indeed a-changin' for the Pryors--who have chugged along on WWII vet Jack's fiercely protected vision of picket fences, cooperative kids, and a wife who doesn't upset his equilibrium with needs of her own. But the rest of the country is changing, too, and American Dreams captures--with subtle precision--the erosion of comfortable assumptions at the onset of the Vietnam war, the escalation of the civil rights movement, the British Invasion, reproductive rights for women, and much else.
The series flows, often with stylish splendor, between the Pryors' home, the Bandstand studio set, and Jack's retail television and radio shop, where Jack's sole employee, an African American father, Henry (Jonathan Adams), wonders silently about the options a racist society will offer his talented son, Sam (Arlen Escarpeta). Wordlessness is a hallmark of American Dreams: An exchanged look between Meg and Sam is shattering testimony to the confusion of racial prohibitions among well-meaning kids. Part of every show finds historical reenactments of '60s musical acts appearing on Bandstand, and sometimes these artists are played by contemporary musicians such as Nick Carter (as Jay of Jay and the Americans) and Third Eye Blind (as the Kinks). This boxed set includes real Bandstand clips that are contemporaneous with the series' timeline. --Tom Keogh
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Most helpful customer reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
American Dreams - Excellent Television Series,
By A Customer
This review is from: American Dreams:S1 (DVD)
Most current-day TV shows seem unrealistic, and the characters are difficult to relate to. However, this series, which is based upon American history, involves characters that seem real, that aren't perfect, and have problems like any average Joe. One of the primary issues revolves around incorporating the "negroes" (as called in the series) into a dominantly white society, as during that time period, was an obvious issue. Other major conflicts include: birth control, drugs, the war in Vietnam, adolescence, education, etc. Anything that maybe a problem for any standard individual, only in a different time period. This season is an excellent portrayal of how society in the US really functioned, and on top of being historically accurate, it's just an interesting show for any person that has to deal with their own problems.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
American Dreams- season one,
By
This review is from: American Dreams:S1 (DVD)
excellent series. I really enjoyed getting a history lesson through music and times. The cast and acting stellar. I wish Season 2 & 3 were also available for purchase.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great TV and Box Set,
By
This review is from: American Dreams:S1 (DVD)
I had heard how great this TV show was from some friends of mine and it definitely did not disappoint! Although I was a couple decades younger, it totally captured a very exciting and poignant era. The acting is amazing and its too bad it was cancelled so early! The box set was great for watching the show but also because of the inclusion of clips from the real American Bandstand, usually corresponding to the clip they showed per episode. Really awesome!Overall, great purchase! :)
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