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Americano

2005, Movie, R, 95 mins

Americano: Review

AMERICANO
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In writer-director Kevin Noland's handsome first feature, three young Americans at the end of a monthlong European backpacking vacation find themselves rethinking life choices when they fall in with a free-spirited Spanish beauty. Chris (Joshua Jackson) has already landed an entry-level job at a major corporation when he and his friends — self-described "wild man" Ryan (Timm Sharp) and Ryan's more conservative girlfriend, Michelle (Ruthanna Hopper, daughter of Dennis Hopper and actress Daria Halprin) — arrive in Pamplona just in time for the running of the bulls. At the Cafe Americano, owned by expatriate nut job Richard Wapato (Dennis Hopper), sexy Adela (Chilean-born, American-raised Leonor Varela) sells them tickets for the first corrida of the season and encourages the initially reluctant Ryan and Chris to run with the bulls. The bull-running is an exhilarating experience for both, but the bullfight is more problematic: Michelle is horrified and leaves, while Chris is entranced by Adela's explanation of its significance for the Spanish national character. Adela, an actress living in her parents' nearby country home, invites all three to stay with her until their departure a few days hence, and her impulsive, unpredictable love of life affects each of her guests differently. Michelle sheds some inhibitions, joining Adela and Chris for a topless swim in an isolated pond even after Ryan asks her to keep her top on, while Ryan reveals an inclination to sullenness and conformity. Chris is smitten by Adela and her philosophy that the only things you absolutely have to do are the ones that scare you; with no family to go home to, he begins entertaining the idea of chucking his new job and embracing a European way of life. AMERICANO is a young man's film, and to Noland's credit it's handsomely shot, well acted and more ambitious than the average first film. But it's ultimately more than a little thin, and watching it feels like listening to a teenager rhapsodize about his summer vacation — naively charming, but hard to take seriously. leave a comment --Maitland McDonagh
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