Business As Usual: The American Dream in Hollywood Business Films

Using reviews of 120 top-grossing Hollywood films about business released from 1927 to 1995, in this study we examine the American dream myth's structure and analyze how the relative dominance of 2 seemingly contradictory tales, the cautionary and the hopeful, varies over time. We further investigate the influence of a particular tale's dominance on class and occupational mobility, character demographics, and keys to success. Finally, we evaluate the correlation between a tale's dominance and social conditions. Findings reveal that with a dominant hopeful tale, mobility is low; mobility is significantly higher when the cautionary tale dominates. A particular tale's prevalence does not correlate with keys to success or demographics. Moreover, a dominant hopeful tale correlates with a society's economic climate. The cautionary tale appears when the social order is threatened.