American Animals (2018)

Four young men mistake their lives for a movie and attempt one of the most audacious heists in U.S. history.

Director:

Bart Layton

Writer:

Bart Layton

Stars:

Spencer Reinhard, Warren Lipka, Eric Borsuk

6 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Spencer Reinhard	...	The Real Spencer Reinhard
Warren Lipka	...	The Real Warren Lipka
Eric Borsuk	...	The Real Eric Borsuk
Chas Allen	...	The Real Chas Allen
Betty Jean Gooch	...	The Real Betty Jean 'BJ' Gooch (as Betty Jean 'BJ' Gooch)
Evan Peters	...	Warren
Blake Jenner	...	Chas
Barry Keoghan	...	Spencer
Jared Abrahamson	...	Eric
Eddie King	...	Male Art Professor
Karen Wheeling Reynolds	...	Female Art Professor (as Karen Reynolds)
James Rackley	...	Active
Drew Starkey	...	Frat Boy
Anthony J. Police	...	Man with Gun
Ann Dowd	...	Betty Jean 'BJ' Gooch

Storyline

In this crime drama, four bright and well-off college students in Kentucky plot to steal some rare books from their university's Special Collections Library in a misguided quest for personal glory. Based on the story, the film includes interviews with the foursome who attempted the bizarre heist. Starring Barry Keoghan, Evan Peters, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson and Ann Dowd.

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Plot Keywords:

heist | heist gone wrong | rare book | book | disguise | 

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Taglines:

This is not based on a true story. This happened.

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language throughout, some drug use and brief crude/sexual material

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Instagram

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Dutch

Release Date:

14 August 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

American Animals

Filming Locations:

Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$134,793, 3 June 2018, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,856,954, 30 August 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film4, New Amsterdam Film Company, RAW

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2:39:1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Purchased by MoviePass for theatrical release.

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Goofs

At the end of the movie, when it is explaining what each character is up to now, the text says that Charles Allen II is "writing a book on prison workout regimes." It should be "regimens". A "regime" refers to governments or periods of rule, whereas a "regimen" refers to exercise or any other scheduled activity.

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Quotes

Warren Lipka: You're taught your entire life that what you do matters and that you're special. And that, there are things you can point towards that would... which'll show that you're special, that show you're different, when, in all reality, those things... don't matter. And you're not special.

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Connections

References Reservoir Dogs (1992)

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Soundtracks

Peace Frog
Written by Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, John Densmore and Ray Manzarek
Performed by The Doors
Used by permission from Doors Music LLC
Licensed courtesy of Warner Music UK Ltd.

User Reviews

What a hidden treasure

Came to this without knowing the story, but having seen The Imposter, it's impressive seeing this director's confident next step. I loved the combination of documentary style with heist movie, characters overlapping and switching in and out of styles and scenes. Evan's energy is frenetic and he seems to really enjoy the role and the supporting cast are great. It's sure to be a cult hit, with a great soundtrack and some very tense and awkward moments that make you cower and cringe at the mistakes and situations these guys got themselves into. It does begger belief its a true story, that these guys pushed themselves over that line, thus changing their lives forever. However, the fact that it is entertaining does not belie the seriousness and sadness that also comes through more by the use of the documentary elements and interviews with the guys and their families, and the librarian. Although it doesn't ever really answer why they all did it, or why they really thought it would be worth it, why they could justify one element in particular, money aside, with any conviction, or maybe that's because it doesn't relate 100% to its audience, though we can still watch with mouths open and it has certainly stayed with me and will definitely recommend a viewing.