American Dreamz (2006)
Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore
On the morning of his re-election, the President decides to read the newspaper for the first time in four years. This starts him down a slippery slope. He begins reading obsessively, reexamining his black and white view of the world, holing up in his bedroom in his pajamas. Frightened by the Preside... (read more) On the morning of his re-election, the President decides to read the newspaper for the first time in four years. This starts him down a slippery slope. He begins reading obsessively, reexamining his black and white view of the world, holing up in his bedroom in his pajamas. Frightened by the President's apparent nervous breakdown, his Chief of Staff pushes him back into the spotlight, booking him as a guest judge on the television ratings juggernaut (and the President's personal fave), the weekly talent show American Dreamz. America can't seem to get enough of American Dreamz, hosted by self-aggrandizing, self-loathing Martin Tweed, ever on the lookout for the next insta-celebrity. His latest crop of hopefuls includes Sally, a conniving steel magnolia with a devoted, dopey veteran boyfriend, and Omer, a recent Southern Californian immigrant (who just happens to be a bumbling, show tune singing, would-be terrorist awaiting activation). When both Sally and Omer make it to the final round of Dreamz -- where the President will be judging along with Tweed -- the stage is set for a show the nation will never forget.
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PG-13, 1 hr. 55 min.
Directed by:
Paul Weitz
Release Date: Apr 21, 2006
DVD Release Date: Oct 03, 2006
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Flixster User Reviews
A completely unintentional awkward movie. It has absolutely no plot and is a mess. It seems to be nothing more than a series of impressions of celebrities and political figures. However, the only one that seems to work is Willem Dafoe's, who is one s... (read more) A completely unintentional awkward movie. It has absolutely no plot and is a mess. It seems to be nothing more than a series of impressions of celebrities and political figures. However, the only one that seems to work is Willem Dafoe's, who is one scary Dick Cheney.
American Dreamz is a mildly enjoyable comedy with a few good jokes but lacking the sort of laugh-out-loud moments that made American Pie so special. Watching Randy Quaid do his GW Bush impersonation, while funny, did conjur up some bad memories.
No doubt started out as a dark and funny satire of politics, reality TV and pop culture - until Hollywood got involved and turned it into the thing it was trying to mock.
Do the creators of the movie not find it ironic that they are poking fun at tr... (read more) No doubt started out as a dark and funny satire of politics, reality TV and pop culture - until Hollywood got involved and turned it into the thing it was trying to mock.
Do the creators of the movie not find it ironic that they are poking fun at trashy TV - that panders to pathetic audiences - by creating an equally trashy movie - that panders to even more pathetic audiences.
It had potential this movie, but even Hugh Grant playing a bastard can't save it. Of course, saying he's a bastard is an overstatement, his character is meant to be a nasty twat but he's not because the filmmakers must have been to scared to go overboard in fear of losing their audience.
If you're going to make a satire don't be scared to be satirical. For fuck sake.
A dark look at an idol like show not a comedy or a drama it sort of implodes at the end
Fairly entertaining, but far too light for it's subject matter. It could have been a nice, biting political satire, but it falls way short. I have the impression there's some needless dumbing down going on.
Satire that can't decide on its target. Hugh Grant and Mandy Moore are the only saving graces of this pitiful comedy.
Love Hugh Grant and Mandy Moore. Also a big fan of Chris Klein. Hell, I even liked Dennis Quaid and Willem Dafoe in their obvious parody roles of Bush and Cheney. But the ending, along with the terrorist sub-plot that pretty much molds into the main ... (read more) Love Hugh Grant and Mandy Moore. Also a big fan of Chris Klein. Hell, I even liked Dennis Quaid and Willem Dafoe in their obvious parody roles of Bush and Cheney. But the ending, along with the terrorist sub-plot that pretty much molds into the main plot completely ruined the movie for me. I just don't find a sleeper terrorist who likes show tunes and his gay cousin funny or entertaining. And yet, they make them out to be the good guys while all of my favourites had moments where they behaved like assholes? All while wasting the talents of John Cho and Judy Greer. Fucking pissed me off. Plus, they killed off my two favourite characters. Could have been good but it wasn't. Damn shame.
A mean-spirited film that wants to be funny but in the end ridicules all of it's subjects. At the core, it is a film that spends it's time building to one point: that the American dream is dead.
Critic Reviews
American Dreamz is often a lot of fun, thanks to Weitz's cast.full review
American Dreamz is the rare case of a movie that gets better as it goes along.full review
In American Dreamz, the people are stereotypes, and the context is fake: It's broad, it's thin, it's a big easy target. And ultimately, its dreamz are hollow.full review
The jokes in American Dreamz whiz by with speed and grace, and Weitz maintains control of the material every minute.full review
American Dreamz lampoons the public's appetite for mindless entertainment and easy distraction from serious concerns.full review
American Dreamz looks like a sitcom, plays like a sitcom and is a sitcom -- and also the riskiest political satire since Wag the Dog.full review
Although Dreamz doesn't hold together as a seamless whole, most of its components are worth the price of admission on their own.full review
Its shallow cynicism combined with its faith that everything will turn out okay can even be said to breed complacency -- the opposite of what satire needs to do in these increasingly dark days.full review
Any attempt to defend American Dreamz for its political venom, or for the surfeit of its surreal conceits, is doomed to founder on a single, obstructive fact: this picture ain't funny.full review
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