As we celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary, Emmy Award–winning television producer David McCourt poses a probing question to more than 1,000 everyday Americans: How do they feel about the American Dream? His film, “Amerigo: The Search for the American Dream,” screens at the M.V. Film Center on Friday, August 28, followed by a discussion with producers David and Julie McCourt, MV Times Publisher Charles Sennott, and special guests.
We follow McCourt as he probes whether today’s 20 million service workers can still achieve the stability and opportunity once associated with the American Dream — a notion that through hard work, anyone, regardless of background, might achieve a better life. Filmed across all 50 states over two years, the program features unscripted interviews with blue-collar workers, veterans, immigrants, students, entrepreneurs, and community leaders.
McCourt says that “Amerigo” (named for Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer and navigator after whom the country is named) “is not just a film about the American Dream but about America itself. Who we were, who we are, and who we are becoming, and whether that dream has the ability to unite us all.” The conversation is far-ranging, and just a touch of the topics and comments follow.
McCourt opens with a montage of people describing what the American Dream is to them. Answers range wildly, from “To be able to go outside without being shot” to being able to “party if you want to.” Many speak about the part money plays. “You have to be a certain type of person to even have access to a dream at this point,” one person states. Another says “I don’t care who you are, money makes you happy if you have it.” The inability to afford a home, or even the prospect of ever doing so, plagues many. McCourt compares his grandfather’s ability, on a janitor’s salary, to buy a house, versus today, when, he comments, many can barely afford to live alone, let alone own a home.
Along the way, we hear from a few key individuals, including Rachel Goslins from the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, who provides a fascinating fact: “When you look at surveys about the American Dream, the people who most fervently believe in it are first-generation immigrants and multimillionaires. The likelihood of a first-generation immigrant doing better than their parents is the same today as it was 100 years ago.” McCourt comments, after hearing these sentiments from various immigrants, “New immigrants sometimes believe in the American Dream more than America believes in them.”
He contrasts the immigrant responses with those of indigenous people, with one noting, “Here in this country, children were getting killed for speaking their native tongue, and their dads were overseas saving this country.”
Healthcare comes under scrutiny, as we learn that 45,000 Americans die annually due to lack of medical insurance. One man, a cancer survivor, tells of having lived as long as he has because of his access to health insurance, while another person he knew without insurance died.
Many speak about the role social media plays in exacerbating a climate that is so polarized, leading to a loss of a sense of community. One interviewee says, “Children are inheriting a country more connected than ever, yet more divided than we’ve ever seen in our lifetime. Their sense of belonging lives inside a screen … They’re told to work hard and dream big, but they’ve watched how the game is played, and they know deep down … that the playing field simply is not level anymore. They’re growing up in a world where the American Dream feels like a story someone else used to tell, and all because of one little invention.”
The opposite of polarization is community, which McCourt examines in detail — both what threatens it and examples of how local community action has produced positive results. One businessman stands with his wife and states, “When you ask about the American Dream, we are living the American Dream. I can’t think of a better way to describe [it] than a husband and a wife [trying] to help turn a community around.”
MV Times Publisher Charles Sennott, who appears frequently in the film, also speaks about the importance of community, including the role local newspapers play, as the number of such newspapers diminishes by the day: “We’re going to have to find a formula that supports local journalism as community service … If the community is going to use it as its trusted source, then the community has to get behind it … When you have what we call a news desert, we know three things, discernibly through research: One, communities become more and more polarized. Two, voter participation plummets. People don’t even know who to vote for anymore because no one is telling them who the candidates are. The last one is banks. Their bond ratings in those communities that no longer have a news organization drop, and that becomes a spiral that stresses the community and pulls it further apart.”
McCourt zooms out toward the end of the film, telling us, “The general consensus of young people all across the country I spoke to says these are uncertain times for the American Dream, but not all of them have given up. I met young people starting businesses, joining co-ops, organizing local drives, building things that last. They’re skeptical, yes. But also sharper, more awake, more connected to purpose than my contemporaries.”
He also turns to the role of artists in binding us together. People’s comments include, “Art is always going to push the boundaries of what is right and what is wrong and call out the injustices that they see.” Another person speaks about the power of art to move us on a deep level. One man piggybacks on the comment, saying, “I do believe that art has a role in the American Dream, particularly because art gives human beings the most feeling. When you’re chasing the American Dream, I think we’re chasing a feeling.”
McCourt stirs that feeling within us by inviting many artists to interpret the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Their personalized renditions send shivers down our spines with soaring lines, leaving us singing along, “Glory, glory, hallelujah, hope keeps marching on.”
“Amerigo: The Search for the American Dream” screens at the M.V. Film Center on Friday, August 28, followed by a discussion with producers David and Julie McCourt, MV Times Publisher Charles Sennott, and special guests. For tickets and more information, visit mvfilmsociety.com.
