DVD: Dave Gorman in America Unchained
February 6, 2008
The thinking man’s Danny Wallace returns with another high-concept vehicle for his talents. The conceit is simple: Dave Gorman, who rose to prominence finding other people around the world with his name (hey, it’s a living), has set himself the task of driving across the United States without imparting so much as a dime to the seemingly omnipresent faceless presence of ‘The Man’, the damning catch-all for everything that is corporate America. Instead, all he’s allowed to do is stop at the independents for all of his basic food, petrol and accomodation requirements.
With Gorman’s track record for finding the weird and wonderful in the most mundane of challenges (perhaps predictably so, there might even be ‘hilarious consequences’), you might think you’re on for a tale riddled with eccentrics and a modern parable about the advent and subsequent dominance of capitalism in American society. Well… almost.
Unfortunately the film feels a little repetitive when it becomes painfully clear that the biggest obstacle in the journey is going to be where Dave fills his car up next, which fast exhausts amusement. One might argue that this proves Gorman’s point, that America has virtually swallowed whole the family-run business. But has he never heard of OPEC? These little owner-managed enterprises aren’t getting their oil from a bunch of nuns.
The trip is rescued by Gorman’s winning personality which provides an amiable distraction from the hunt for the next service station. Dave remains compulsively likeable and though his adventure scarcely dares throw up the legion of backwater strangefolk one might expect, there’s a few touching moments of hospitality where Dave almost exhibits relief to have found evidence that family values haven’t completely been eradicated with the dominance of the McBurger.
Dave Gorman in America Unchained is released on 11 February 2008. Find out more about Dave Gorman here.
Normally we would put a link to a well known site where you could buy this DVD, but keeping in the spirit of the release, why not buy it from a local shop instead? … if you can find one.
