Sydney Sweeney’s Underrated Western Thriller Is Now A Streaming Hit On Hulu

The cast of HBO’s Euphoria has broken out into some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Zendaya is a major star who has won two Emmys and is slated to appear in blockbusters like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Dune: Part Three this year. Jacob Elordi is fresh off an Academy Award nomination for his role in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. Hunter Schafer has appeared in The Hunger Games franchise and is about to appear in a Blade Runner TV series.

Sydney Sweeney is another big name to get her start on Euphoria​​​​​​, which she used to catapult a notable career. From The White Lotus to Anyone But You to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood to The Housemaid, Sweeney has an impressive filmography. That includes a handful of hidden gems like Hulu’s Big Time Adolescence or Prime’s erotic thriller The Voyeurs. In that category is Americana, a film that blends several genres together and deserved more acclaim than it received.

Thankfully, Americana is starting to find a bigger audience now that it has arrived on Hulu. In fact, the film has climbed to the number two spot on Hulu’s top movies chart, and it only sits behind Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, which is a brand new release. It’s telling of how things like word of mouth and a talented cast have helped Americana defy the odds.

What Americana Is About

For starters, it’s intriguing to see the road that Americana had to take to get released. The movie initially premiered way back in 2023 at the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival. It took a bit of time before Lionsgate acquired the rights to the film in early 2024, which led to it getting released in theaters a year later in 2025. It was only a limited theatrical run, so the movie only grossed under $1 million on its budget of around $9 million.

However, those who saw Americana found that it was a quality film. The story focuses on three characters whose stories intersect in unexpected ways. First, there’s Penny Jo Poplin, played by Sydney Sweeney, who is a waitress who struggles with stuttering and dreams of becoming a country music star. She befriends Lefty Ledbetter (Paul Walter Hauser), a military veteran who overhears criminals speaking and plots with Penny to steal from them.

That’s where the third main character, Mandy Starr (Halsey), comes into play. She’s a woman who looks to leave her abusive boyfriend, despite the fact that her son, who believes he’s the reincarnation of Lakota leader Sitting Bull, wants to stay behind. The three stories converge into a wild climax that is fitting of a western. The movie is a love letter to the genre while also incorporating elements of a crime thriller, with a dash of comedy.

Americana Deserved Better Reviews

Ultimately, the reviews for Americana were somewhat mixed when they came out. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie sits at a solid, yet unspectacular 62% rating from 68 established critics. The consensus is that it does a good job of blending its genres and has charm, as well as a strong cast, though it never fully hits the potential that it had. In fact, the vast majority of positive responses about the movie focused on the actors and their performances.

A more interesting place to look for Americana reviews is from the audience members on Rotten Tomatoes. They make up the Popcornmeter, which is at a much stronger 78%. It shows that the casual moviegoer seemingly has a better time with the film than the critics did. Honestly, that makes sense because there is just so much to like about Americana. Even if it doesn’t live up to its premise completely, there’s just a good time to be had.

Paul Walter Hauser and Sydney Sweeney make for an unexpectedly charming duo in their scenes together, while the supporting cast also does great work. Simon Rex, Toby Huss, and the late Eric Dane all turn in quality performances in their limited scenes. Sometimes, even when there are story elements that don’t totally click, it’s a joy to watch the characters interact and to see these talented actors share the screen. Americana feels like a movie that appeals to a lot of different kinds of film fans, including harsh critics.

Halsey Steals The Show In Americana

As noted, the combination of Sydney Sweeney and Paul Walter Hauser is a good one. They work well together and their friendship becomes a highlight of the movie. It also helps that they are recognizable faces, especially given their turns in acclaimed TV shows like The White Lotus and Cobra Kai. However, a very strong argument can be made that the scene stealer throughout American is actually Halsey, who is best known for her music career.

Before Americana, Halsey’s movie career was rather limited. She lent her voice to roles in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies and Sing 2, while also making a cameo as herself in the critical darling and Oscar nominee A Star is Born. A lot of people likely first saw her on the big screen in MaXXXine, the third installment in Ti West’s X trilogy, which consists of some of the most acclaimed horror films in recent memory. Americana had its wide release in 2025, a year after MaXXXine, though it actually premiered a year prior, making it Halsey’s major acting debut.

You wouldn’t really know it given how impressive Halsey is. She has to do a lot as Mandy Starr as the character goes through some interesting changes. She starts out as a desperate woman on the run from her abusive boyfriend; we see her as a mom who wants the best for her son, and at one point, she has to pretend to be okay with living in a home that turns women into servants for the patriarch. On top of that, Mandy is also a woman who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.

The fact that Halsey is able to deliver a strong performance across all those aspects of her character in her film debut is reason enough to watch Americana. Add in the rest of the quality cast, some wild twists, and some genre-blending, and it’s no wonder the movie is now a streaming hit.

Release Date

August 15, 2025

Runtime

110 minutes

Director

Tony Tost

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