DVD Review: American Son

By Fused Film Staff • September 2, 2009 • 4 Comments

American Son is an indie film that was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.  It was recently released on DVD.  Given the poor reception of most films about the Iraqi War at the box office, this was probably a smart move. In American Son, Nick Cannon plays Mike, a young Marine who is being sent to Iraq soon.  Before deployment, he goes home to California to spend Thanksgiving weekend with his family and friends. On the bus ride, he meets a young lady named Christina (played by Melonie Diaz).  They hit it off, but he doesn’t tell her that he’s going to be deployed soon.  He also keeps it a secret from his mom and stepfather (played by Tom Sizemore), his sister, and his friends, including Jake, played by Matt O’Leary.   Over the next 96 hours, we see him try to spend time with everyone that he loves. He goes back and forth between his family, his friends, and Christina, who he begins to build a relationship with. We also see the tension between him and Jake due to them growing apart and Mike’s dissaproval of several choices that Jake has made. Eventually, Mike admits to everyone that he’s bound for Iraq, and has to deal with the consequences of withholding that information.

I really enjoyed this film.  I have not been the biggest fan of Nick Cannon’s acting in the past, but he shows real growth in his portrayal of Mike. The supporting cast is also excellent. Tom Sizemore has just the right amount of concern and frustration in his scenes with Cannon.  Chi McBride also shines in a small role as Mike’s biological father.  Melonie Diaz, who has had small roles in other indie films such as Be Kind Rewind and Hamlet 2, brought a warm and endearing quality to the character of Christine. Jay Hernandez delivers a solid performance as an Iraqi War vet/amputee named Junior.    The scenes between her and Nick Cannon felt genuine, even when their characters were engaging in small talk. I also have to praise Matt O’Leary, who steals several scenes from Nick Cannon with his portrayal of Jake. Jake has resentment toward Mike for leaving and has a lot of rage and frustration with his current situation. O’Leary was able to convey the emotions of this troubled character while still making him likable. The filmmakers are also to be commended for telling a compelling story and for inserting the cards that were counting down his hours until deployment. This added to the tension and helped illustrate how Mike was on the verge of a major, life-changing experience.

There extra features on the DVD include an interesting commentary with the director and producers, deleted scenes with optional commnetary, and a great behind the scenes documentary entitled On Leave In Bakersfield.  American Son really humanizes the American Soldier and goes beyond the sound bites and news footage in a way that is not preachy or political. I think everyone should at least see it once. Sadly, although Nick Cannon’s acting has improved, he doesn’t quite have the presence to properly carry out this role.

Total Score-Rent

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