While many try to chase their American Dream, many people want more and fail. The American Dream can be defined as “the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what social class they were born into, can achieve their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for all. The American dream is achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking and hard work, not surprisingly.” Basically this means that if you work towards your goals and put in the effort, success can be achieved. The American Dream can be sought to have better life opportunities, as seen in the movie Revolutionary Road, or simply to have a better understanding of life itself, as seen in the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. In both films, Revolutionary Road, written by Richard Yate and directed by Sam Mendes, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, directed by Terry Gilliam and based on the novel written by Hunter S. Thompson; The American dream is pursued, but the characters end up disappointed. While both films end with an American nightmare, the ways in which they attempt to achieve success vary greatly. Using the assigned reading, “The Anxious Society,” by Lawrence R. Samuel as prompt for The American Dream; This essay explores the differences and similarities of the American Dream in the films Revolutionary Road and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. In the movie Revolutionary Road, the American Dream is about the struggle to find happiness in a time period that does not agree with the lifestyle desired by the main characters. The film is set in 1955, a time when women had to stay home to clean and cook while men worked all day to bring home money to support the family. S…half of the paper…wonderful in terms of demonstrating the flaws of the American dream and the failures in trying to achieve it. There are several motivations in achieving the American dream. The Wheelers wanted a change in their lives and to become the happy family their neighbors thought they were. The Revolutionary Road is an example of trying to achieve the American Dream for the wrong reasons; the Wheelers wanted to fix their relationship, when their relationship couldn't be repaired. Duke wanted to continue his journalism career and have fun in Las Vegas. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is an example of excess comfort causing self-destruction and failure to achieve the American Dream. The path to the American dream was seen in both films, but both the films and the assigned readings demonstrated that the American dream is just a dream and ultimately unattainable..