When filmmaker David McCourt‘s grandfather came to the U.S. from Ireland in the late 1800s, he had little more than the clothes on his back and a dream of a better life.
He managed to find work as a streetcar driver, and later, as a janitor. Those jobs earned him enough income to buy a comfortable house in Watertown, Mass., where he was raised his seven children.
He considered himself neither rich nor poor and thus, in his estimation, had achieved the American dream. But is that still possible? Is that dream still alive? And what is the American dream today? Does it still mean owning a home? Or has it evolved to include so much more, in a more expensive, more complicated, and increasingly diverse society?
McCourt’s new documentary “Amerigo: The Search for the American Dream” is an exploration of those questions, filmed over two years, and including more than 1,000 voices from every state in the country.
He joins host Robin Young to talk about the obstacles facing Americans today, as well as the hope and optimism they still possess.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2026 WBUR