One of my all time favorites.

Excellent but underrated film

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Super movie! Great script, acting (except for Giannini, the actors were happy discoveries for me), shot angles, scenery and costumes (IMO almost all of the female protagonists then-chic clothing stands the test of time, no small feat to keep a movie from feeling dated). Rollicking tongue-in-cheek delightful fun for everyone. Twists and turns that surprise even those expecting twists and turns. Lovely ending. I literally have watched it more than 50 times, for sure, over the years, and still look forward to seeing it, favorite scenes and all. My deepest thanks to all involved for giving us such great and enduring fun. Deserves to be a much better known classic, on the scale of "A Fish Called Wanda."

A major key to an excellent film is the chemistry between the leading actors, in American Dreamer, JoBeth Williams and Tom Conti, are simply great together, you sit riveted to your seat watching every turn and twist, and you aren't certain whether you'll be laughing, intrigued or shocked in the following scene.The portrait of the underestimated, under-appreciated housewife, who believes there is more to life than just being patronized is deftly presented. Huckleberry Fox was great in his role of a grown up 6 year old, while Coral Browne provides the lone dose of sobriety to this simply excellent Caper-Comedy romp!I have not seen anything quite this good since!

Catherine Palmer, (JoBeth Williams) a frustrated housewife who dreams of being a mystery writer enters and wins a contest to write a chapter for an upcoming installment in the Rebecca Ryan detective series.The comedic element is developed once she arrives in Paris though the multiple vehicles of amnesia, mistaken identity, and a madcap roller coaster ride through a steadily thickening plot involving real criminals and real crime.The first time I encountered this movie, I stumbled upon it during the airport scene near the end. Female friends told me this was the worst possible point to start, so I re-watched it from the beginning. It still left a bad taste.Although Kevin Palmer (James Staley) is boring, overly absorbed in his career and inattentive to his wife and her dreams, his 'sins' aren't fleshed out to a point where you really feel he deserves the loss of family and (As unlikely as it seems) the removal of his children to a foreign country.Alan McMann, (Tom Conti) while far more engaging, is a similarly hollow character. Both appear to be simply foils in what is ultimately a very predictable 1980's era girls' empowerment tale.

I watched this movie on cable ages ago and never forgot it. It was/is delightful and engaging. It is one of those movies that you can watch over and over again. The plot line and character interactions make the perfect comedy.JoBeth Williams is delightful and one of the funniest scenes is when she goes out to have some fun in Paris. I won't elaborate more because it would be a spoiler.The ending is also wonderful with a sort of moral/life lesson being learned by the audience in regard to settling or merely existing in your life instead of actually "living."