Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a review from a test screening of Paul Weitz's take-off on American Idol and the current administration, AMERICAN DREAMZ starring Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore (Yum-Yum), Hugh Grant and Chris Klein. I was pleasantly surprised with Weitz's IN GOOD COMPANY and while the AMERICAN PIE movies might be kinda run into the ground at this point, the first was really damn funny. I also really like the set-up for this flick, so you can count one big butt in the seats in April when the flick comes out. Keep in mind this review is from a test screening so there can be a few tweaks done before release. Also be warned that it goes deep into spoiler territory! Enjoy!
Earlier this week when I saw Match Point at my local theater they were handing out passes for an advance screening of Paul Weitz’s American Dreamz. Now, I had seen the trailer and it looked amusing but ridiculously over the top and entirely lacking subtlety. However, I have liked Weitz’s previous efforts, especially last year’s In Good Company, so I went.
The story centers around a few different characters and their connection to the most popular television show in the country, “American Dreamz.” The show is an obvious takeoff on “American Idol” but of course, this is the point. The other characters involved are Dennis Quaid’s President Staton, and opaque takeoff on President Bush. Staton is going through a crisis after his election to a second term – he actually wants to read the newspapers! Willem Dafoe plays the domineering vice president who is a bit afraid of the President’s newfound interest in his job. Hugh Grant plays Martin Tweed, the host of American Dreamz who can’t stand his job, and Mandy Moore plays the young hopeful superstar Sally Kendoo and Chris Klein is her boyfriend. Mandy breaks up with him when she lands the gig on “American Dreamz,” deciding that her life was taking off. He joins the Army, goes to Iraq, is wounded almost immediately, and comes back. Sally’s new agent (played hilariously by current SNL member Seth Myers) decides that this angle is great in order to help Sally win, so she gets back together with him. Newcomer Sam Golzari plays Omer, a would-be terrorist with a soft spot for show tunes sent by his more competent comrades to join a sleeper cell in the US. Tony Yalda plays his gay cousin Iqbal. It all sounds very confusing, but it manages to come together around the television show. Iqbal sends an audition tape into American Dreamz but Omer winds up being the one chosen to join the show. Dafoe’s vice president wants to launch a media blitz to raise the president’s slipping approval ratings and has him booked as a guest judge on the show. Omer’s sleeper cell then wants him to succeed on the show in order to assassinate the president at the final episode. Like I said, it’s a bit complicated, but that’s the general gist of it. Regardless of any of this heavy material, the film looks at everything in a lighthearted way.
They told us this was an unfinished cut of the film, but it looked pretty complete to me. There was music, no problems with sound, etc. The only thing missing was final credits.
In terms of the quality of the film, I gotta say I was pleasantly surprised. Its utter lack of subtlety was its greatest asset. It continuously hit the viewer over the head with every message and character, but despite all of this, it never lost its sense of silliness, which made it very funny. The full house of over 300 people were laughing continuously.
In terms of performances, there were some good ones. Hugh Grant was excellent in what I guess was a return after a bit of a hiatus. He seemed very comfortable in his Simon Cowell take-off. Mandy Moore was pretty believable because she plays the same character in every movie, but if it works, it works. The same goes for Chris Klein – he plays the dumb guy with a heart in every film... from Election to American Pie to American Dreamz. However, he is excellent in this one. Omer is good, but his gay cousin steals scenes constantly because he is so ridiculously over the top, but then again, the entire film is. Willem Dafoe is a constant source of enjoyment regardless of what film he is in, but especially in this one. He looks exactly like Dick Cheney and plays to the stereotypes regarding the vice president very well. Quaid plays an idiot president with a heart, so I guess he’s got something in common with Klein. All performances were adequately amusing though.
I left the film feeling good – but I don’t know how conservatives would react to it. Quaid’s president is obviously based off the conceptions of ineptitude regarding President Bush and it works for a lot of laughs. Marcia Gay Harden plays the first lady and I gotta say, I hate her, but she made for a creepy Laura Bush clone. Weitz’s script piled on enough laughs and there were only a couple that fell flat. The fact that he was able to hold it all together through the final act and get some more laughs deserves some credit. A lot has to go on in it. I guess stop reading now if you don’t want spoilers.
Omer and Sally are selected to be the final two competitors on the show. Omer’s sleeper cell sets him up with an explosive device to use when he meets the President, who is a guest judge on the show. Omer has a change of heart though, and discards the explosive in the men’s bathroom trash can. Chris Klein’s character is to propose to Sally on the show because her agent thinks it will help her win. It all goes awry when Sally and Grant’s host character get it on in her dressing room before the show and Klein sees it happen. Distraught, Klein finds the explosive, and confronts Sally on stage with the explosive device. Despite the fact that this all sounds very serious, it isn’t – it’s funny because they keep it light. I was really wondering how they would tie it all together, because I felt like it was going to veer off into idiocy, but the ending was good. Klein blows himself and Hugh Grant’s host character up, Omer becomes successful, Sally becomes the new host of American Dreamz, and it all gets tied up. Just writing this makes it sound stupid but its not. It’s silly, but funny. It’s intelligent but it knows how to make cheap laughs seem better. Weitz does a good job.
The final thing I want to mention is the fact that it is a perfect satire of American Idol... from Hugh Grant’s responses to the hopefuls’ singing – “I have felt like this before, when I wanted to kill myself.” To the performers themselves – Fantasia, Clay Aiken, and Bo Bice look-alikes appearances and it’s pretty funny. I am not someone who watches American Idol yet the send-up of it was still very good.
On the whole, I definitely recommend the film, mainly for Hugh Grant’s great performance and Willem Dafoe’s creepy and humorous turn as a Dick-Cheney replica. The film is never slow moving, always funny, and though the plot sounds very complicated, it actually makes a lot of sense. It reminded be quite a bit of Dr. Strangelove but it is way more over the top. Sure, it hits you over the head with every point but if they tried to be subtle about it, it wouldn’t be funny.
I guess if you use this, just call me The Baumer.
