If you’ve stumbled across Adam Rehmeier’s Dinner in America, you probably felt like you just got slapped in the face with a punk-rock anthem. It’s loud. It’s weird. It’s aggressively midwestern. But honestly, the movie works because the cast of Dinner in America manages to take characters who should be completely unlikable—a pyromaniac drug dealer and a socially awkward pet shop employee—and makes you fall head over heels for them.
It’s rare to see a film where the chemistry feels this dangerous. Most indie flicks play it safe with "quirky" leads. Not this one. Simon and Patty are chaotic. They are messy. They are exactly what we need in a cinematic landscape that feels increasingly sanitized.
Kyle Gallner as Simon: The Soul of the Chaos
Kyle Gallner isn't a new face, but Dinner in America is the role he was born to play. He plays Simon, an underground punk singer on the run from the cops. He’s abrasive. He’s mean. He eats dinner with families just to scam them or cause a scene. You might recognize Gallner from things like Jennifer’s Body or the Scream reboot, but those roles didn't let him go off the rails like this.
Gallner brings a specific kind of jittery, high-voltage energy to the screen. He doesn't just play a punk; he inhabits the nihilism of the subculture without making it feel like a costume. When he’s screaming into a microphone or hiding out in Patty’s basement, you see the vulnerability underneath the leather jacket. It’s all in the eyes. Gallner has this way of looking at Patty that shifts the entire tone of the movie from a dark comedy to a genuine, weirdly sweet romance.
His performance is a masterclass in controlled aggression. Most actors would play Simon as a one-note jerk. Gallner gives him layers. He’s a jerk with a moral code—even if that code is written in Sharpie on a bathroom stall.
Emily Skeggs and the Brilliance of Patty
If Gallner is the fire, Emily Skeggs is the slow-burning fuse. As Patty, Skeggs delivers a performance that is so incredibly specific it almost feels like a documentary. Patty is a 20-something woman who is clearly struggling to fit into her suburban, over-medicated environment. She’s obsessed with a punk band called Psyops, and she sends the lead singer (who, spoiler alert, is Simon) anonymous, explicit Polaroids.
Skeggs, a Tony-nominated actress known for Fun Home on Broadway, does something brave here. She doesn't play Patty for laughs. She plays her with total sincerity. Patty’s awkwardness isn’t a "movie" quirk; it’s a lived-in reality. The way she walks, the way she holds her hands, the way she pauses before speaking—it’s all so deliberate.
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The cast of Dinner in America wouldn't work if Patty was just a victim. Skeggs ensures she has agency. When she finally stands up for herself, it’s not a sudden, unrealistic transformation. It’s the result of her finding someone who finally sees her. The chemistry between Skeggs and Gallner is the heartbeat of the film. They shouldn't make sense together, but by the time they’re recording a song in a basement, you can’t imagine them with anyone else.
The Supporting Players: Suburban Satire at its Peak
The world around Simon and Patty is filled with characters who represent everything they’re fighting against. The casting directors, Emily Schweber and local Michigan scouts, nailed the "blandly oppressive" vibe of the American Midwest.
- Mary Lynn Rajskub and Pat Healy: Playing Patty’s parents, they perfectly capture that suffocating, well-meaning but totally disconnected suburban energy. Rajskub is especially great as the mother who is trying so hard to keep a "normal" household while her daughter is clearly spiraling.
- Griffin Gluck: As Patty’s younger brother, he brings a different kind of teenage angst to the table. He’s cynical, he’s rude, and he fits perfectly into the dysfunctional family dynamic.
- Lea Thompson: Yeah, that Lea Thompson. She shows up as the mother of a different family Simon "dines" with, and her performance is a hilarious, slightly uncomfortable look at suburban boredom and repressed desire.
The supporting cast does a lot of heavy lifting. They provide the "normal" backdrop that makes Simon and Patty’s rebellion feel necessary. Without the stilted, awkward dinners with the parents, the punk-rock escapes wouldn't have nearly as much impact.
Why This Ensemble Works Better Than Other Indies
A lot of movies try to do the "misfits in love" thing. Most of them fail because they try too hard to be "indie." You know the vibe—slow-motion shots of people staring at birds, acoustic guitar soundtracks, and dialogue that sounds like it was written for a greeting card.
Dinner in America avoids this by being loud and gross.
The cast leans into the discomfort. They don't mind looking ugly. They don't mind the awkward silences. There is a scene involving a dinner table and some very aggressive behavior from Simon that would have been cut from a more mainstream film. But here, the actors commit to the bit so hard it becomes legendary.
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The film was shot in Michigan, and you can feel that grit. It doesn't look like Los Angeles or New York. It looks like the place where dreams go to die, which makes the characters' search for something real even more poignant. The cast of Dinner in America feels like people you actually know, even if you’ve spent your life trying to avoid them.
The Music as a Character
We can't talk about the cast without talking about the music. Simon is a musician, and Patty becomes his muse. The song "Watermelon," which they record together, isn't just a prop. It was written by the director and the actors were heavily involved in the performance.
When you see Kyle Gallner playing that song, he isn't faking it. He has a history in music, and it shows. The music acts as a bridge between the two leads. It’s the only way they know how to communicate their feelings. In many ways, the soundtrack is the third lead member of the cast. It’s raw, it’s unpolished, and it’s undeniably catchy.
Behind the Scenes: Building the Chemistry
Director Adam Rehmeier reportedly had the actors spend time together to build that rapport. It shows in the small details. The way Patty mimics Simon's movements or the way Simon slowly lets his guard down around her feels earned. It wasn’t rushed.
The film took a long time to get a wide release. It premiered at Sundance in 2020, but due to the pandemic and distribution hurdles, it took a while for the general public to see it. This delay actually helped build a cult following. People weren't just watching a movie; they were discovering a hidden gem. They were telling their friends, "You have to see this guy Kyle Gallner."
The cast of Dinner in America has become a rallying cry for fans of "real" cinema. It represents a shift away from over-produced blockbusters and back toward character-driven stories that aren't afraid to be offensive.
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How to Appreciate the Performances Even More
To really "get" what the actors are doing, you have to look at the power dynamics. At the start of the film, Simon holds all the power. He’s the intruder. He’s the one with the secrets. But as the story progresses, Patty becomes the anchor. She’s the one who provides the sanctuary.
Watch the scene where they are in the park and Patty gets bullied by some former classmates. The way Gallner’s Simon reacts isn't just "tough guy" posturing; it’s a protective instinct he didn't know he had. And the way Skeggs’ Patty reacts isn't just "damsel in distress"; she’s watching Simon and learning how to fight back.
This isn't a movie about a guy saving a girl. It’s a movie about two people realizing they don't have to be alone in their weirdness. That’s a hard needle to thread without being cheesy, and the cast nails it.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Lovers
If you want to dive deeper into the world created by the cast of Dinner in America, here is how to truly experience the film's impact:
- Watch Kyle Gallner’s earlier work: Check out The Passenger or Smile. You will see the evolution of an actor who is becoming one of the most reliable names in independent film.
- Listen to the Soundtrack: The music isn't just background noise. Find the Psyops tracks and listen to the lyrics. They provide a lot of insight into Simon’s headspace before he met Patty.
- Pay attention to the background: The next time you watch, ignore the leads for a second and watch the extras and the supporting cast in the suburban scenes. The "blank" expressions and the stifled atmosphere are what make the movie’s rebellion feel so earned.
- Support Indie Distribution: Movies like this survive because of word of mouth. If you liked the performances, tell people. The cast deserves the recognition for taking a risk on a script that most Hollywood studios would have burned.
The cast of Dinner in America proves that you don't need a hundred-million-dollar budget to make a movie that sticks with people. You just need two leads who are willing to be absolutely fearless and a supporting cast that understands the assignment. It’s a punk-rock masterpiece because it refuses to play by the rules, just like Simon and Patty.
Next Steps:
To fully appreciate the range of the leads, look for interviews where Gallner and Skeggs discuss the "Watermelon" recording session. It reveals a lot about their improvisational style and how they built the most unexpected on-screen romance of the decade. Following the film's production history also sheds light on how independent features navigate the festival circuit to reach a cult status.