Without stretching the limits of imagination, picture a country whose president has never read a newspaper and whose citizens would rather vote for pop stars than political candidates. Picture a country that is plotted against by terrorists and exploited by television executives. Any of this sound familiar? If living in the United States, there is a good chance it does.
“American Dreamz,” written and directed by Paul Weitz, is the most recent satire on the current state of American pop-culture and politics.
The film attempts to focus on several plotlines. One follows President Staton (Dennis Quaid), who was recently re-elected as president of the United States. Staton, who is obviously modeled after President Bush, spends his days lounging in his jammies and dodging the press during a time of war. First Lady Staton (Marcia Gay Harden), is modeled after a certain first lady ,and the Chief of Staff (Willem Dafoe) bares a striking resemblance to a well-known quail hunter. The two spend much of the movie struggling to convince the president to leave the confines of his room and meet with the press by offering him some of the first lady’s “happy pills.”
Another plotline follows Sally Kendoo (Mandy Moore) as she is chosen to participate as a contestant on the top-rated television show, “American Dreamz.” Chris Klein, who previously starred in Weitz’s directorial debut, “American Pie,” delivers a hilsarious performance as Kendoo’s naive boyfriend William Williams. Kendoo initially ends her relationship when she is informed she will appear on “American Dreamz,” so a heartbroken Williams enlists in the Army to try to find purpose in life.
Meanwhile, Omer (Sam Golzari), a member of a terrorist organization in the Middle East, is sent to live with extended family in the United States and await orders from his group. However, as a clumsy terrorist and fanatic of show tunes, Omer is never meant to receive any orders. This changes when he is mistakenly chosen to appear on “American Dreamz,” as the president has scheduled his first television appearance to serve as a guest judge during the final round of the show. Members of Omer’s terrorist organization then track him down to tell him he must advance to the final round of the show to assassinate the president.
Although the film succeeds in addressing the humor in the seemingly nonsensical interests of American culture, it appears as though Weitz failed to identify which of the film’s characters and plotlines were most effective.
Hugh Grant, who previously starred in Weitz’s “About a Boy,” is superb as the “American Dreamz” host Martin Tweed, a slimmer and more charming version of “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell.
Quaid is hysterical as the president: “Did you know … that there are two kinds of Iraqistanies?” Golzari and Moore are forgettable in their roles, mostly because of poor lines of dialogue: “You have been Omerized!”
The juggling of plotlines and character development might have worked better in “American Dreamz” by means of interviews or confessions in the style of a mockumentary, like Rob Reiner’s “This Is Spinal Tap” or Christopher Guest’s “Best in Show.” Instead, the film ends up departing from its apparent goal of blowing the whistle on the ridiculousness of American pop culture for too long.
