Product Details

• Actors: Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore (II), Willem Dafoe, Chris Klein
• Format: NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005JOX5
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #505,013 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "American Dreamz" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Thinly disguised versions of American Idol and the Bush presidency collide in the satire American Dreamz. Bored and self-loathing, Martin Tweed (Hugh Grant, About a Boy) wants to give his hugely popular reality show American Dreamz an extra boost by courting political controversy--but suspects he may find personal redemption in the form of scheming contestant Sally Kendoo (Mandy Moore, Saved!), who manipulates her boyfriend (Chris Klein, Election) to give herself a vote-winning backstory. Meanwhile, equally desperate to court popularity, the President's chief of staff (Willem Dafoe, Spider-Man, looking suspiciously Dick-Cheney-esque) gets Tweed to let the President (Dennis Quaid, The Rookie) be a guest judge on the show. But unbeknownst to all, a privately conflicted terrorist (Sam Golzari) has been selected as a contestant, and his sleeper cell wants him to blow up the President in the final competition. This complicated storyline doesn't quite have the bite it's reaching for; the political edge is particularly blunted--even diehard Republicans are unlikely to be offended. But sharp and funny lines are sprinkled throughout and the cast is uniformly excellent; the relationship between Grant and Moore is oddly touching, and Marcia Gay Harden (Pollock) makes an amazing First Lady--is this satire, or what we all wish Laura Bush was really like? An uneven movie, but with some delicious tidbits. --Bret Fetzer

From The New Yorker

A busy, ambitious new film from Paul Weitz, who made "About a Boy" and, before that, "American Pie." Whether the dreamz are more authentically American than pie is another matter. The new film stars Hugh Grant as the coarse-tongued English host of a top-ranking television talent contest. In his quest to find the next batch of freaks and hopefuls to appear on the show, the host happens first upon Sally (Mandy Moore), an innocent small-town schemer with a lumpen boyfriend (Chris Klein), and then upon Omer (Sam Golzari), an Arab terrorist on a personal crusade not so much to blow up the world as to dazzle it with show tunes. Add to the mix a United States President (Dennis Quaid) who appears on the show in order to boost his ratings, and the makings of a scathing farce are all in place. Which is where they stay. Weitz's movie has plenty of recognizable pet hates, starting with the current Administration, but its scorn feels petulant and scattershot instead of rousing or principled, and the characters tend to swerve in unhelpful directions. What's the point in a satire of "American Idol," when the result leaves you less aghast than a viewing of the actual program?
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars American Dreamz is an American Doze, June 9, 2008

By 

Edwin C. Pauzer (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: American Dreamz (DVD)

This is barely a spiffy spoof on American culture and politics that might be all too close to a current TV show called "American Idol." Hugh Grant is a producer of the wildly successful "American Dreamz." He is professionally engaging and personally shallow, self-centered, and sleazy.

On the other side of the globe is an uncoordinated, two-left-footed terrorist in training whose mother was killed by an American bomb. Unfortunately, he loves American show tunes, and is caught by the silhouette of the light in his tent, dancing to one of them. His commanders decide that he will never be of any use, and order him to go to America as a sleeper agent. He is to take up residence with his aunt, uncle and two cousins. They plan on letting him sleep for a long time.

Then there is the President of the United States, played by Steven Quaid. He is a bone-headed, numbskull who gets everything he is supposed to say from his chief of staff, played by Willem Defoe. One morning he has the revelation that everything is not just black and white, and he goes on a reading frenzy beginning with the NY Times. He stays in the residence for weeks, just reading.

Mandy Moore is a blond, blue-eyed Karaoke singer from Anywhere, Ohio, and she definitely wants to become an American Dreamz Princess. She jilts her boyfriend as she finds out that she is selected for the show. The jilted beau decides to join the army where he is given only two weeks training before he finds himself in Iraq, where he gets shot in his tattooed arm that bears the name of his ex-girlfriend. He returns home to express his undying devotion to her.

(If you need to take a break from reading this review, I will understand).

Chief of staff, Willem Defoe decides to get the president out of his reading lethargy by booking him as a judge on "American Dreamz." American Dreamz Dream Team do their producer's bidding to find someone who is more ethnic than the average American. They should find someone from the middle east who they will ensure gets to the finals. And who do they discover practicing on his cousin's set in the basement of his aunt and uncle's California home? You guessed it!

Now the terrorists find their opportunity to strike at the clod of the United States. Will the sleeper terrorist who is love-struck with the American culture strap himself with a bomb, and blow up the president, or judge?

You'll have to see the movie to find out.

The acting is excellent and Hugh Grant deviates from his usual role as a sensitive, bumbling, loveable guy to heartless, intolerable creep.

As for actually seeing this movie, it's kind of a bomb. (Sorry, bad choice of words).

Take a nice nap instead.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "I think I'm Omar-sexual.", November 25, 2006

By 

Mike Zimmerman (Danville, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Dreamz (Theatrical Release)

President Joseph Staton (Dennis Quaid) sees the world as a fairly black-and-white place, but a glance at the daily headlines on the eve of his reelection leaves the most powerful man in the free world shaken to the very core. Upon reading this, Staton locks himself in his bedroom boning up on information, which causes concern for his chief of staff (Willem Dafoe) and first lady/wife (Marcia Gay Harden). Eventually, Staton finds himself booked on his favorite show, "American Dreams", hosted by the cynical Martin Tweed (Hugh Grant). The event is in favor of two contestants, Sally Kendoo (Many Moore) and Omer (Sam Golzari). But one of them has a dark secret that will ensure a season finale no one will soon forget.

With "American Dreams," Paul Weitz is finding himself in a new direction. Known for movies about getting past first base ("American Pie"), childish adults who want kids ("About a Boy"), and wounded egos in the workplace ("In Good Company"), the director is now moving into satirical comedy. Sure, we've been down this road before (on "SNL" and "MadTV"), but with a potent comedy agenda and good talent involved, "American Dreamz" manages to entertain.

Recently, critics are after this movie because of some poor satirical targets, such as "American Idol" and the fact that our president is a boob. Agreed, because we had "MadTV," "South Park," "Saturday Night Live," and a dozen other shows that have tackled these subjects. Of course, it doesn't help matters if you have overexposed "SNL" celeb Seth Meyers in your cast (though he does bring up a funny Britney Spears reference). And the movie takes a downfall when it reaches dramatic portions, such as terrorists forcing Omer to blow himself and the president up.

Weitz does get help from his cast. Like with all his recent movies, "Dreamz" benefits from a strong ensemble cast. The highlight of this movie is former(?) teen pop starlet Mandy Moore. She fills her character with naivet charms (think Piper Perabo of "Coyote Ugly" without all the lame clichd drama), and some doses of humor. It's very good stuff.

Rounding out the cast is some familiar Weitz cast members - Dennis Quaid puts a southern drawl for Staton, Hugh Grant is wonderfully cynical as Martin Tweed, and Chris Klein is always up for a laugh as Sally's b/f. It's a shame the same can't be said for John Cho, Jennifer Coolidge, Judy Greer, Marcia Gay Harden, and others, as none of them have a lot to do in this movie.

"Dreamz" kind of runs in the similar category as any "SNL" Weekend Update you've seen: sophomoric play-it-safe potshots at the president, making you wonder if Tina Fey was uncredited with writing the screenplay. Still, if your cast has some likable talent like Grant, Moore, and Quaid, maybe it doesn't matter that much. And Willem Dafoe's good as the Dick Cheney look-a-like, so why complain?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laughing at negativism in our society, December 25, 2010

By 

Tommie "packratcorner" (FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Dreamz (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

Without giving a brief of the story, let me just say I found this movie a refreshing satirical comedy about many things wrong in today's society and the world politics in general. The characters are played well, each bringing out a likable personality along with flaws in character. Presented in a clear manner are negative results of selfishness, greed, insecurity, distrust among people and nations, dishonesty and on and on and on. This movie really has a lot of deep meaning to explore and think about. In a time when there is so much terrorism and ploting in the world I found it refreshing to see a movie which brings out the utter stupidity of todays shallowness and greed. The ending - the followup of the two main contestants six months later - should give us all food for thought about how we tend to judge and trust others. Who was really untrustworthy in the end?