Following Your Dreams to Make A Difference? Now that’s What I Call “Make America Great Again!”

America's "250 Years…250 Movies"

In honour of our country's 250th birthday, I'm reviewing 250 of their amazing flicks! Keep on the lookout, patriots!

Not Pictured: The Baseball Player and the Mickey Mouse Guy

For a country that’s less than 300 years old, America has some pretty great icons. From Babe Ruth, perhaps the most famous baseball player ever, to iconic inventor Thomas Edison, there have been numerous Americans who have made a name for themselves through their amazing work. And what better way to honor them then by creating a documentary about them? Thus, we got “American Icons,” a short film series about people who have built the U.S.A.!

The films follow Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President who ran his country during the Civil War, Franklin Roosevelt, the 32nd president who did the same during the Great Depression as well as World War II, George Washington, the “Father of Our Country” who codified the American Presidency, Eleanor Roosevelt, the “First Lady of the World” who built a name for herself through her advocacy as First Lady, Thomas Edison, whose research helped usher in the Technological Age, Babe Ruth, the Great Baseball Player and arguably the First American celebrity, and Walt Disney, the cartoonist whose take on classic fairy tales left a huge impact on American pop culture.

Is it any good? Well, while the insights into the aptly-mentioned icons are fascinating, it could use a little diversity. The only person not a white male is Eleanor Roosevelt, and while Martin Luther King Jr., another great icon, is advertised as being in the film, there’s no segment anywhere to be seen. (So much for false advertising.) Moreover, while the segments done on the historical figures are undoubtedly fascinating, they are often done in a sanitized way. There’s no mention, for instance, of Abe Lincoln’s rather prejudiced views toward African-Americans- his great work at ending slavery notwithstanding. Honestly, it feels more like a rose-tinted narrative of the eponymous “American Icons,” albeit a mostly accurate one. All things considered, though, the “work hard at your dreams and something may come of it” message does shine through through the stories featured. All of the people highlighted faced significant hurdles (Abraham Lincoln had depression, Walt Disney went bankrupt at his first attempt at animation) but nevertheless overcame them to do great things with their lives. It’s pretty darn inspiring when you think about it.

All in all, this film is a great insight into icons of American culture, and the “American Dream” message comes through, but it still has something of a jingoistic bias. 3 stars out of 5.

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Jennifer Rose is an autistic author, novelist, and film critic. Her work explores identity, imagination, and what it means to think differently in a world that wasn't built with her in mind. In her novel Manimal Crackers, she draws on her own experience to tell a story about impulsivity, mentorship, and finding your footing. Her first book, It's Not a Perfect World, But I'll Take It (Skyhorse Publishing), is a memoir told in fifty life lessons about growing up autistic. She is now developing a literary magazine, Autonomy, for autistic writers and readers.