"American Dreamz" Review

"American Dreamz" is a satire about American pop culture. It takes some shots at American politics, but, for the most part, it makes fun of Americans' obsession with reality television and with just being on television.

Hugh Grant stars as "American Idol" judge Simon, hosting his own show, "American Dreamz." Dennis Quaid plays President Staton (AKA George W. Bush). Willem Dafoe plays the vice president (Cheney). Mandy Moore stars as young woman who is selected to be a contestant on "American Dreamz."

Directly following his re-(s)election, President Staton feels exhausted and for one reason or another, is motivated to read and learn a bit about the world. He actually asks for a copy of the newspaper and not just any newspaper, but, the New York Times. Staton hides in his room for weeks after the (s)election, reading through books, magazines, and newspapers. He even read one from Canada. Even though the president attempts to become better educated, his approval ratings drop drastically. As the Vice President notifies him, "The only group of people who approve of you are children under the age of 5." So, Cheney and company map out a way to get President Staton out of his room and into the public's eyes again, so that his numbers will rise. To do this, they book appearances on Larry King, Oprah, and to be a guest judge on "American Dreamz."

I won't give too much away here, unless some are blind, the three finalists are: Mandy Moore, an Arab that likes show tunes, and a Jew that likes rap. That and the rest of the movie are rather predictable. Even the odd ending I saw coming.

All-in-all, it could've been better, but was an entertaining film. Hugh Grant was his usual self. Mandy Moore gave a solid performance. The "American Dreamz" contestants were rather amusing, a couple of performances in particular. "Dennis Quaid and Willem Dafoe did decent jobs of portraying the president and vice president. American Dreamz" could've been a funnier film, but the 110 minutes went by fairly quickly, there were a few laughs (a couple of really good laughs), and even though it didn't quite live up to my expectations, it certainly does pass as an amusing satiric bit about American pop-culture.

Grade: 6.5/10