Tony Tony the Poker Face Showrunner who made his board debut with American Is waiting for a time when his film can be enjoyed outside of this current cultural moment.
Tostar took to the Thursday evening to offer his thoughts on the film, which hit theaters last weekend. It stars Sydney Sweeney , Paul Walter Hauser , and Halsey. Focusing on a variety of people accompanying a rare Native artifact, the project was the subject of discussion on social media afterward, grossing just $500,000 from its release in more than 1,100 theaters.
"One of the best things about movies is that they outlive the spirit in which they were released," Tost said. "As someone whose first film engaged with Zeitgeist, I'll be curious to see how it picks up after this moment is over. I hope so!"
The Conviction creator also shared a screenshot of his 2022 post on the post-production process, noting his hope that the film felt like something viewers could discover. “Even at the time, I knew I was creating a ‘hidden gem’ movie (as opposed to a successful arthouse blockbuster),” Tost said. He explained that he’d already envisioned a career of small gems, citing the work of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas: “Just try to make a lot of Sugarland Express and American Graffiti movies without worrying about making a Maw or Star Wars movie .”
However, he added that he's now reevaluating this plan. "A shot in – I don't know if a smaller gem run is viable today," Tost wrote . "I think I need to swing bigger or smaller. Excited for people to find Americano in the days/weeks/months/years. But also trying to internalize the many lessons learned from Swing #1."
Though the filmmaker didn't specify what he found detrimental about the current ceitgeist, the project, which debuted at the 2023 South by Southwest Festival, was released less than a month after Sweeney's American Eagle ad campaign titled "Sydney Has Great Jeans" was launched. The subject of social media criticism .
Paul Walter Hauser (left) and Sydney Sweeney in Americano.
Coyote/Courtesy of Ursula of Lionsgate
Hauser shared his thoughts on the film during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published earlier this week. The actor, whose credits include I, Tonya Like This, Blackklansman , and the follow-up Springsteen: Delivered to Me Out of Nowhere, revealed that American is his favorite film in his catalog.
“I don’t know when a good time is to release a movie like this,” Hauser said. “I just know, no matter if it blows up and is the next Everywhere at once, or if it wants to and makes $800,000 in theaters, one of those movies will be successful in the long run. I know people will stumble upon it, and it will become a favorite movie of about 13 years in three years, and it will be like what Reservoir Dogs was for me at their age.”
In his review of Americano for The Hollywood Reporter , critic Justin Lowe wrote that "Tost's portrait of characters driven by unfettered greed or justifiable need gives voice to oft-ignored segments of society as they strive for agency and the quality of respect admirable in any narrative genre."
