American Dreamz (2006)

Director:

Paul Weitz

Writer (WGA):

Paul Weitz (written by)

Release Date:

21 April 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music

Tagline:

Imagine a country where the President never reads the newspaper, where the government goes to war for all the wrong reasons, and more people vote for a pop idol than their next President.

Plot:

The new season of "American Dreamz," the wildly popular television singing contest, has captured the country's attention, as the competition looks to be between a young Midwestern gal (Moore) and a showtunes-loving young man from Orange County (Golzari). Recently awakened President Staton (Quaid) even wants in on the craze, as he signs up for the potential explosive season finale.

Plot Keywords:

Arabic Stereotype | Marriage Proposal | Post 9 11 | Sex | Theatre Buff

Cast

Hugh Grant	...	Martin Tweed
Dennis Quaid	...	President Staton
Mandy Moore	...	Sally Kendoo
Willem Dafoe	...	Chief of Staff
Chris Klein	...	William Williams
Jennifer Coolidge	...	Martha Kendoo
Sam Golzari	...	Omer
Marcia Gay Harden	...	First Lady
Seth Meyers	...	Chet Krogl
John Cho	...	Ittles
Judy Greer	...	Accordo
Bernard White	...	Agha Babur
Tony Yalda	...	Iqbal Riza
Noureen DeWulf	...	Shazzy Riza
Shohreh Aghdashloo	...	Nazneen Riza

Also Known As:

American Dreamz (Australia)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sexual references.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Ireland:PG (video rating) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42341) | Ireland:12A | Germany:6 | Netherlands:6 | Iceland:L | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | France:U | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Australia:M | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Sweden:Btl | UK:12A | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

NBC Universal Television

Trivia:

Mandy Moore was Paul Weitz's only choice for the role of Sally Kendoo.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Sally's boyfriend and the production staff look through a dressing room keyhole. The keyhole is to a modern tumbler lock, which can't be seen through.

Quotes:

William Williams: So dou you have any advice for me?
Soldier Chuck: Yeah don't get shot.
[shots fired at truck]
William Williams: [holding his arm] Ow! What was that?
Soldier Chuck: I think you just got shot!

Movie Connections:

References "Donny and Marie" (1976)

Soundtrack:

Mommy Don't Drink Me to Bed Tonight

Better Than They Say

"American Dreamz" is not the funniest or cleverest film ever made, but it isn't as bad as a lot of the other reviewers are saying. To be sure, it will offend anyone who is a fan of American Idol, President Bush, or Al Qaeda.

The jokes are cute but will not leave you rolling in the aisles. There are really good performances throughout, especially by Willem Dafoe. who I had never really seen in a comedic performance.

This film could have been more mean spirited, but they actually went out of their way to make all the characters empathetic. My favorite part is when the terrorist are looking forward to eating grapefruit sorbet.

It's a shame this film was not more popular in the theaters, because it has a lot going for it despite it's faults. Hopefully it will be more popular on DVD.