![\"American](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/Am__DREAMZ_blonde.jpg\")
\nPhotograph by GLEN WILSON – Courtesy of UNIVERSAL<\/p>\n
\nPhotograph by GLEN WILSON – Courtesy of UNIVERSAL<\/p>\n
![\"American](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/Am_DREAMZ___2.jpg\")
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Film Review
\nApril 24, 2006 by JAN ALBERT<\/p>\n
AMERICAN DREAMZ<\/em> I laughed alot at American Dreamz<\/em>. Maybe I am relaxing my standards, but I think most critics were a little too tough on this genial little film, penalizing director\/writer Paul Weitz (American Pie<\/em>) for not going far enough. Briefly, the story centers around production of American Dreamz<\/strong>, the nation’s #1 TV show, and what happens when an Arab terrorist infiltrates as a contestant and the President of the U.S. appears as a guest judge to boost his plummeting popularity in the polls.<\/p>\n After an acid-tongued, sharp start, things get a little softer, but if the film doesn’t soar Mandy Moore as a wanna be Idol with a heart of brass and Hugh Grant as the swarmy Simon Cowellesque-impresario of the show – 2 utterly self involved people who briefly need each other – more than acquit themselves, and the rest of the players (including Dennis Quaid as the President, dumber than a board but with the stirrings of a conscience and William Dafoe as the Karl Rove power behind the throne) look like they are having such a good time, it’s infectious.<\/p>\n For the film historians among you, compare this to Bye Bye Birdy<\/em>, rather than The Americanization of Emily<\/em>. <\/p>\n True, it doesn’t sink its teeth into this rich material the way a great satire like THANK YOU FOR SMOKING<\/em> does, but it wins my vote for at least nibbling around the edges. I give American Dreamz<\/em> a solid middle of the road B (an A to Universal’s promotion team for the film’s tag line — “IMAGINE A COUNTRY WHERE MORE PEOPLE VOTE FOR A POP IDOL THAN THEIR NEXT PRESIDENT.”)<\/p>\n Relax and enjoy it, then go home and read a newspaper like the President in the film does. <\/p>\n Photograph by GLEN WILSON – Courtesy of UNIVERSAL Film Review April 24, 2006 by JAN ALBERT AMERICAN DREAMZ Opens April 21, 2006 I laughed alot at American Dreamz. Maybe I am relaxing my standards, but I think most critics were a little too tough on this genial little film, penalizing director\/writer Paul Weitz (American Pie) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nOpens April 21, 2006<\/p>\n
\nI applaud him for even coming up with the idea of combining an American Idol-like talent show, the threat of terrorism, and the White House of George W. Bush into a comedy.<\/p>\n
\nthroughout, there are still several priceless moments. I loved it when a terrorist watching American Dreamz<\/strong> in a desert tent via satellite, exclaims rapturously after watching their sleeper cell contestant warble “My Way”, – “he nailed it!”<\/p>\n![\"American](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/Am_DREAMZ_Hugh___small.jpg\")
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