Any alternative person scrolling through TikTok in the last month has likely heard the song or seen the characters repeatedly—a hard-headed pyromaniac punk and his super eccentric and sometimes over-the-top love interest against the world. That’s the synopsis of this cult classic in the making, “Dinner in America,” and to say it’s absolutely perfect is an understatement.
What this indie film may have lacked in budget it makes up for tenfold in every other way. From one of the most believable punk characters to grace the screen since SLC Punk and Trainspotting all the way to an actually weird female protagonist that only gets more likable the longer the film goes on, this beautiful love story is one that will surely captivate the hearts of young eccentric people for generations to come.
So what made this magnificent misfit flick a work of art worthy of praise for years to come? It all boils down to the story itself and the ways in which these outstanding actors were capable of bringing such charm to life on the screen.
Spoilers Ahead!
The film starts with our male protagonist, Simon (played by Kyle Gallner), in a medical testing facility. When Simon becomes ill from the medication he is serving as a test subject for, he finds that the lab is only willing to give him a portion of the money they owe him due to his need to leave the test early. Simon storms out shortly after letting the lab’s management know exactly how he feels about this money debacle and this is when we first see a glimpse into the brash and unapologetic nature of his character.
It is later discovered that Simon uses his money to purchase drugs, which he then sells at a profit locally. The reason for these deals is to make enough money to pursue his true passion: music.
However, due to some questionable decisions on Simon’s part, the authorities have placed a sizable bounty on his head, and he must steer clear of capture. During one run-in with the police, Simon meets Patty (played by Emily Skeggs). Patty instantly recognizes Simon from her music appreciation class she took before dropping out of Junior College and offers to let him come over to her house.
After accompanying Patty to her home, Simon meets her eccentric mother, father, and adopted brother. This is also when Simon discovers that Patty’s favorite band is a local punk band named ‘Psyops’ whom she claims will be playing a show with a very prominent ‘poseur’ band called ‘The Alliance’ on Saturday in the city. This is when we discover that Patty has been writing letters to the unknown masked singer of ‘Psyops’ for years—and it’s also when we discover that Simon just so happens to be that masked singer who is now shocked that the girl he met just hours before is the one he has been reading letters and receiving sexual photos from for years.
After Simon sneaks out of Patty’s home in a frenzy, he meets up with the rest of ‘Psyops’ and calls them out for setting up a show with a band he considers ‘eyeliner punk for 14-year-old girls.’ After demanding the rest of the band re-set up a secret show that was scheduled for Friday, Simon returns to Patty’s home for the night.
In the morning, Patty is job hunting after being let go from her suboptimal role at the local pet store. When Simon discovers how the store owner wronged Patty, the two set off to get her final check. At the bus stop, Simon and Patty are confronted by two jocks that actively bully Patty and call her a ‘r*tard.’ Simon stands up for Patty and is then beaten up by the two track runners on the side of the street.
Immediately, Simon springs into action to get revenge and ends up working with Patty to lure the two bullies into a baseball field, where he then knocks them out with a bat, strips them, sets fire to their tracksuits, and places a dead cat between them to get incriminating polaroids of the two boys.
After this is done, Patty returns to her old job, and after Simon and Patty fight with the store owner, they secure her last paycheck, which covers their lunch together. At the lunch spot, they kiss for the first time.
At this point, their relationship only continues to strengthen, leading to the two writing a song together, sticking up for one another and saying ‘fuck them all but us,’ and preparing for the secret show on Friday night. Throughout the movie, many people downgrade Patty’s intelligence and value. One of the most heartwarming elements of the film is that Simon sees her as the talented writer and ‘incredibly punk rock’ person she truly is.
However, at the show, when Simon once again refuses to play with ‘The Alliance,’ the two members of his band that wanted the show to happen decide to rat him out to a major producer and booking agent who then calls the cops on him during his set. As Simon tells the crowd that the next song (“Dinner in America”) is dedicated to his ‘music girlfriend’ aka Patty, and begins to sing the song seemingly just to her, the cops arrive and take Simon out in handcuffs. Patty and Simon confirm their love for one another as he is sent away. Patty is then asked to join a riot girl band with two of her previous college friends who saw her at the show.
The movie ends with Simon counting down the days until he gets out of prison and sending letters to Patty just as she once did for him. The final scenes of the film have Patty in far more eccentric clothing, truly in her element, standing up for herself, and rocking out to their song outside the bus stop as the credits roll.
One of the superpowers of this film is its ability to have you smiling ear to ear the entire time. You truly feel for the characters; you believe in their love for one another and their passion for music, and instead of taking the approach of Simon feeling like a rock god in Patty’s eyes, they chose to show Simon applauding her for the incredible love poems she sent him which he says are really just astonishing power pop songs.
On top of this, one of the best elements of this movie is their casting. Instead of choosing to follow the same stereotype as always and picking some popular teen heartthrob female protagonist, the casting of Emily Skeggs lets you fully believe in her eccentric and charmingly alternative nature. Patty is flat-out weird and it makes the film even more endearing as you slowly but surely begin to adore her and the romance she develops with Simon. In a way, the film becomes a modern-day punk rock Benny & Joon and this is what makes the film so enthralling and honest.
While seeing a second installation in the couple’s love story would be wonderful, the film stands on its own, and I’d hate to see it ruined by a choice to bring it back for no reason. The way the film ends wraps up the story beautifully, and you truly feel that the main characters are in a better place overall, even if Simon is in jail for now.
At the end of the day, “Dinner in America” is the perfect cult classic love story for this generation. While it may have taken four years for it to receive the credit it rightfully deserves, it’s good to see that TikTok has helped it get into the right hands and gain the cult following it needed all along.
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Until next time, as Simon would say, Stay Punk.