So yes, Americana didn’t rake in millions its first weekend. But “bomb”? Not quite. In indie terms, this is business as usual and a modest play designed to pay off in the long run. If anything, it’s a reminder that not every Sydney Sweeney movie has to be a blockbuster to matter. Sometimes the smaller moves set the stage for the bigger ones.

Sweeney stars as Penny Jo, a South Dakota diner waitress with an appealing smile, an ingratiating stammer, a scarf in her hair, and deep reserves of ruthless ambition.

Sydney Sweeney’s latest indie film, Americana, has finally been theatrically released two years after it premiered at the 2023 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival. The film stars Sweeney as Penny Jo Poplin,