Product Details

• Actors: Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore (II), Willem Dafoe, Chris Klein
• Directors: Paul Weitz
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: October 17, 2006
• Run Time: 108 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000GPPNMY
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #38,434 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #32 in

  Movies & TV > Comedy > Comedy Stars > Hugh Grant

• For more information about "American Dreamz (Widescreen Edition)" 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

Product Description

THE NEW SEASON OF 'AMERICAN DREAMZ', THE WILDLY POPULAR TV SINGING CONTEST, HAS CAPTURED THE COUNTRY'S ATTENTION, AS THE COMPETITION LOOKS TO BE BETWEEN A YOUNG A YOUNG MIDWESTERN GAL & A SHOW TUNES-LOVING YOUNG MAN FROM ORANGE COUNTY.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 55 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 (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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)

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?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars American Nightmare, April 30, 2006

By	Michael T. Caughey "jajd332" (VA BEach) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Perhaps one of the worst movies ever made. For a comedy, I only laughed perhaps twice in two hours. I thought it would be a funny send up of American Idol. It wasn't. But it was painfully slow, dull, and boring, and perhaps that's why a week after it opened there were only 10 people in the entire theatre besides the three of us. Dennis Quaid wasn't funny, Hugh Grant wasn't funny, and really I wish I had left and asked for a refund. It's amazing how a movie like that can make it to the screen. I would have done better to watch Dave again with Kevin Kleine. This movie was an American travesty from start to finish!