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Movie Review - American Dreamz (2006)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Paul Weitz |
| Starring: |
Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, Marcia Gay Harden, and Willem Dafoe |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for brief strong language and some sexual references) |
| Length: |
107 minutes |
| Genre: |
Unfunny Comedy/Failed Satire |
| Tagline: |
Everyone's gotta have.... |
| Studio: |
Universal |
| Website: |
American Dreamz |
| Release: |
April 20, 2006 |
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PLOT
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American Dreamz, the most popular show in the world, is about to start its new season and a Simon Cowell
wannabe (Grant) is on the lookout for new and interesting contestants. This year he wants to really spice things
up and find a few freaks, including an Arab and a Jew. Throw in an All-American Midwest gal (Moore) and we're
ready to go.
Meanwhile, the President (an unfunny Dennis Quaid) has just been reelected, but he has stopped making press appearances
in order to read more newspapers (I know, it's goofy). People start to speculate that he has had a nervous
breakdown, and his popularity plummets. To raise his approval rating, an agreement has been made for him to
be a special guest judge on the season finale of American Dreamz. This gives the Arab contestant, who happens
to be an Iraqi terrorist, an opportunity to detonate a bomb and kill the President on live TV.
I know it sounds like there is some potential here for some really quirky humor, but there's less substance than
you'd imagine. A failed attempt at satire ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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I honestly didn't think Date Movie would have strong competition for worst movie
of the year this early, but congratulations American Dreamz, you are now a competitor!
American Dreamz is the annoying kid in high school who tried sooooooo hard to get attention and desperately
wanted to make people laugh. When his lame jokes wouldn't strike a chord with those around him he'd just act
goofier and more stupid until somebody, anybody laughed.
Just like that poor sap you used to know (or maybe used to be), the movie tries way too hard to go for the obvious
jokes, begging for an audience reaction. "Look everybody! The President is saying things like 'give me one of
them there newspaper doohickeys' because he doesn't read! Aren't we brave? Isn't this biting and cutting
edge?"
Not really. Political satire needs to be clever and sharp, not clichéd and old. Are we really expected to cackle
with laughter as Dennis Quaid says things, in a ridiculously fake Southern accent, such as, "Placebos? Aren't they
illegal?" Apparently, that's what passes for comedy in Hollywood these days. This is simplistic humor at its
worst. I'll prove how easy this is with an example of my own:
"Good morning, Mr. President, we have your news briefs."
"News briefs? Why does my underwear have news on them?"
Cue the rim shot and inexplicable audience laughter. If that's what you want to spend your time and money on then
you're much more easily amused than I.
Satire is hard to do effectively, especially when you're attempting to ridicule something that's already a joke in
its own right. People laugh at the horrible contestants on American Idol because they're legitimately bad and their
embarrassment is real.
When you try to make a movie using actors who are obviously trying to be over-the-top stupid, well, it just doesn't
work. At least not in this case. Oh, look! There's a gay Arab singing and dancing really badly to Super Freak!
Hardy freakin' har.
It's kind of like when somebody trips and falls. If it happens right in front of you then it's funny, morbid though
that may be, but if you try to replicate it in a movie? Nah, it's artificial. There's no spontaneity in that.
Another thing that hurts the film is that teenagers are definitely the target demographic here, and though the movie
wants to paint itself as "political satire" to lure older folks to see it, the jokes are too dumbed down so as to not
go over the heads of the expected younger audience.
Honestly, there's no reason to waste hard-earned money to see this on the big screen, unless you like humorless
comedies in the vein of The Stepford Wives and
The Man. If you're dying to see it then just have a little patience and wait for
the DVD.
Of course, I usually overestimate humanity, so I'm sure there'll be a few people who find humor in lines such
as, "Tweedy? Is that like Tweety Bird with a 'd'?"
As we were leaving, a disgusted and thoroughly bored Stephanie commented, "I wish I had 'movie bulimia' so that I
could purge this from my system."
Even I would be hard-pressed to say it better myself.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- I actually expected to moderately enjoy this because the last film Director Paul Weitz and Hugh Grant worked on
together was About a Boy, and I thought it was great. I'm shocked at what a drop-off in quality this is.
- You know things are bad when Jennifer Coolidge isn't the most annoying aspect of your movie.
- The movie is at its most painful when we're forced to watch the contestants singing and the editing department
apparently fell asleep. Is it really necessary to have the Iraqi kid badly sing Frank Sinatra's My Way IN ITS
ENTIRETY? Sheesh. Oh, I guess you had to drag it out because you thought that would make things so much more
effective when you showed us the harmless little terrorists back in Iraq crying while watching this on TV, huh?
Sorry, I didn't realize that was an attempt at humor. The fact that it wasn't the least bit funny threw me
off.
- We're also expected to bowl over in fits of uncontrollable laughter when we're shown that the terrorist's bomb
has "press here to explode yourself" written on it. And just in case we didn't catch this assumed bit of cleverness
or the viewer can't read, and I have a strong feeling that will apply to some of the audience, the terrorist makes
sure to read it really slowly. Wouldn't want us to miss out on a gem of a joke such as that. Thanks,
guys!
- Apparently, the filmmakers thought making up a city called "Padookie" would force audiences to rush to the
hospital with busted guts. That's the only reason I can think of for saying the name about 20 times throughout
the course of the movie.
- I usually like Hugh Grant, but his role is rather small and he is given absolutely nothing to work with.
They couldn't even give him funny insults to use on the contestants.
- I usually like Mandy Moore as well (what a killer smile), but there was something about her that made this her
most unappealing role yet.
- Hugh Grant was in About a Boy with Toni Collette who is in the upcoming The Dead Girl with Josh
Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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There isn't a lot here to offend mama other than some usage of profanity, including two "f" bombs that were
obviously thrown in for shock value.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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It doesn't meet the expectations the trailer provides, and I wasn't even expecting that much in the first
place!
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THE GIST
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If you want political satire that is actually smart, clever, and funny then I recommend
Thank You for Smoking instead. The only thing American Dreamz
is going to stimulate is a violent tendency to punch someone in anger after realizing the time and money you just
wasted is gone forever. I, being so tender hearted, am merely trying to prevent that.
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