American Dream

1990

Documentary

6
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 88% · 16 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 88% · 1K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.7/10 10 1178 1.2K

strike iowa labor labor strike labor union woman director

Plot summary

When workers at the Hormel meatpacking plant in Austin, Minnesota are asked to take a substantial pay cut in a highly profitable year, the local labor union decides to go on strike and fight for a wage they believe is fair. But as the work stoppage drags on and the strikers face losing everything, friends become enemies, families are divided and the very future of this typical mid American town is threatened.

Director

Barbara Kopple Photo
Barbara Kopple

Top cast

Jesse Jackson Photo
Jesse Jackson as Self
Dan Rather Photo
Dan Rather as Self
Ronald Reagan Photo
Ronald Reagan as Self
Richard Knowlton Photo
Richard Knowlton as Self - President Hormel & CO.
720p.BluRay 720p.WEB 1080p.BluRay 1080p.WEB
904.93 MB
1280*960
English 2.0
PG-13
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 38 min
Seeds ...
905.66 MB
956*720
English 2.0
PG-13
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 38 min
Seeds ...
1.64 GB
1440*1080
English 2.0
PG-13
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 38 min
Seeds ...
1.64 GB
1434*1080
English 2.0
PG-13
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 38 min
Seeds ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by R T 6 / 10

A hard bitting & honest to the core

A hard bitting & honest to the core documentary following the seemingly doomed Union Uprising against the Hormel Packed Meats corporation in the US in the mid 1980's. Follows both the workers & union activists in this journey & the dedication of the workers some oh strike as long as 60 weeks. Unfortunately there is no happy ending in the film keeping the story truthful & realistically quite tragic. A terrific documentary that captures the every day American working man struggle.
Reviewed by Leaburn O 9 / 10

One of the all time great documentaries. A

One of the all time great documentaries. A razor sharp focus on workers rights and union in fighting a corporate force that was unwilling to relent. As wealth congeals amongst an increasingly small elite, the crushing of unions looks like a key moment in history. This took place 30-40 years ago but the slow burn of capitalist oppression of the worker is inevitably creeping up on us to the point it breaks. Maybe films like this will document how and why the long term trend resulted in a seriously trampled upon life not just got meat packers but the wider working class of the 99%. Watched on YouTube.
Reviewed by R T 10 / 10

This documentary does a great job framing passionate

This documentary does a great job framing passionate works against ‘the man' the big wigs, the people with money. The workers believe they can force the company to cave in even when the international union in Washington refuses to back. They don't swallow the pill that they are given. The stand tall, they stand true even against worst odds. It is a documentary about the human spirit, that sounds cliche, but it is true. Standing up for your beliefs and what you feel is right no matter what the cost. The town of Austin MN becomes a town unrest and the economy of the town begins to crumble. The works stand true to what they believe is right still. I'm the end most of the workers get replaced by Hormel. But what Hormel can not replace is their dignity and there beliefs for what is right.
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