Not Worth the Wait: "Americana" Rides In Too Late

At South by Southwest 2023, Lionsgate presented their western crime thriller, Americana, directed by Tony Tost. With a star studded cast of Sydney Sweeney, Halsey, Eric Dane, and Paul Walter Houser, fans awaited its theatrical release...which inexplicably would not come for nearly two and a half years. People largely forgot about this humble feature, but after a bafflingly long period of radio silence, Americana finally arrived in US theaters on August 15th. But the question must be asked: was this western it worth the wait?

Americana follows the story of multiple characters in rural South Dakota, all trying to get their hands on a priceless Lakota Ghost Shirt in the hopes of selling the artifact for thousands of dollars. The action scenes are decently done and some real praise is in order for production designer, Russell Barnes and child actor, Gavin Maddox Bergman. But aside from a few high-energy shootouts and brief laughs, there's not much that Americana does to keep your attention.

It's safe to say that when Americana first came out in 2023, public perception of its lead actress was severely different than it is now. Back then, Sydney Sweeney was known for her role as Cassie in HBO's Euphoria, far from a box office draw. But in the past year or so she has shot her way up to the top of the A-list, becoming known just as well for her controversies as her roles. Sweeney has come under fire in the past month for her American Eagle ad campaign that some have labeled racially insensitive. But we are not here today to talk about jeans, we're here to talk about film.

I bring this up because it would be naïve to say that Americana's public reception has not been affected or marred by Sweeney's involvement. This review will be as objective as possible and not take Sweeney's public image into consideration. That being said, Americana is a disappointment that was not worth the two year wait.

Paul Walter Hauser is the only cast member who gives any sort of charismatic performance. Acting has never been Halsey's strong suit and the rest of the characters just aren't memorable enough to recall. Sydney Sweeney is on every single piece of marketing for this movie, but this is easily one of the weakest performances of her career so far. Although she has exhibited some strong acting throughout the years, Sweeney's time as a performer has always been followed by criticisms that she's not a strong actress, and Americana does little to disprove that. Her character, Penny has a chronic stutter that feels so forced coming from Sweeney's mouth. Maybe this was just a case of poor stunt casting, but either way it doesn't work.

The third act is particularly hard to keep your attention on. Even mere moments after finishing this film it's difficult to recall a particular scene or even a character name. Props are due to writer and director, Tony Tost for making an original feature in an industry plagued by reboots and sequels, for having a strong vision, and for adequate Native American Representation. But I don't think Americana is worth the $25 you'll spend on cinema tickets.

While Americana didn't quite hit the mark, I'm confident in Tost's abilities as a filmmaker. Let's hope that his next feature packs more of a punch and doesn't get trapped in distribution hell.