MOVIE NIGHT TRAFFIC LIGHT

Paul Weitz (American Pie, About a Boy)

Paul Weitz (In Good Company), Rodney M. Liber (In Good Company, Big Mamma’s House), Andrew Miano (In Good Company), Chris Weitz (In Good Company, American Pie)

Paul Weitz (In Good Company, About a Boy, Antz)

Hugh Grant – (Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, About a Boy)

Dennis Quaid – President Staton (Flight of the Phoenix, Day After Tomorrow, In Good Company)

Mandy Moore – Sally Kendoo (Racing Stripes, Princess Diaries)

American Dreamz provides a despicable and distasteful portrayal of a true American hero and the leader of the free world – Ryan Seacrest.

American Dreamz is a comedy about a singing contest show much like American Idol.  In the movie, the main character (Hugh Grant) is a combination of Nigel Lithgoe, Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest all rolled into one.  Hopeful contestants audition by sending in video tapes.  The show is determined to have an entertaining season, so they select contestants based on the level of drama they can bring to the show.  Mandy Moore’s character fills the white trash demographic.  Some other contestants are a Clay Aiken want-to-be, a cowboy and an Arab (who’s actually a terrorist in training).  Mandy Moore’s character will do whatever it takes to win and Hugh Grant’s character is attracted to her, so he ensures she will win by devising schemes to woo the audience into voting for her.  At the same time, the President of the United States (Dennis Quaid) is having a mid life crisis and is advised by Willem Dafoe’s character to become a guest judge on the final night of the show to win back public support.  The story is a bit slow but the movie is full of entertaining characters and scenes.  The end may not be exactly what the audience is expecting or even wants, but all-in-all the movie pretty enjoyable.

By illustrating to absurdity of it all, American Dreamz may ruin the reality show experience for many.  As a satire, it hits hard.  It’s great premise and decent story slyly demonstrates that civilized capitalists and radical terrorists may be equally misguided and, well, crazy.  And, each of the film’s many stars delivered a superb performance, in some cases creating classic comedic moments.  However, a significant portion of the movie moved far too slowly, and much of the dialogue lacked the over-the-top punch line that it could have had.  In terms of phenomenal feats in filmmaking, American Dreamz is a missed opportunity.  Nonetheless, it’s novel concept and a strong finish make it one worth considering. 

On the Movie Night Traffic Light on a scale of GREEN meaning “Go – it’s a must see”, YELLOW meaning “Caution – it’s okay” and RED meaning “No - stop don’t do it."

We rate American Dreamz YELLOW.  Caution – not the best movie, but pretty entertaining.