AMERICAN DREAMZ — * 1/2 — Hugh Grant, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid; rated PG-13 (violence, profanity, vulgarity, brief sex, brief drugs).
To employ terminology that might be used by Simon Cowell, the brutally honest "American Idol" judge, "American Dreamz" is bloody awful.
"Dreamz" is a satire that uses the incredibly popular music competition-program as the launching pad for supposedly good-natured jabs at U.S. foreign policy, as well as observations about America's obsession with stardom and fame.
It's also meant to be shocking at times, but the only thing that's really shocking is that something so toothless and unfunny could have come from filmmaker Paul Weitz, whose star has been on the rise after the first "American Pie" picture, as well as "About a Boy" and "In Good Company."
"Dreamz" reunites Weitz with some of his earlier cast members, chiefly Hugh Grant as Martin Tweed, the cynical host and judge of the TV show of the film's title, "American Dreamz."
Martin is bored with the concept and hopes for contestants who will spice things up. One newcomer, Sally Kendoo (Mandy Moore), wants to win so much that she strings along her Iraq War-veteran boyfriend (Chris Klein) because their romance "plays well" on TV.
The real surprise, however, is Omer (Sam Golzari), an Iraqi terrorist-in-training who just happens to love Broadway musicals, and whose fellow countrymen are thrilled when they learn that the standing U.S. president (Dennis Quaid) has agreed to be a guest judge on the show.
As you can see, the film has some some seriously questionable taste issues, particularly with this terrorism subplot. And Weitz, who wrote and directed, and his usually capable cast seem uninspired. Even the always dependable Willem Dafoe flounders as a character who is a cross between Vice President Dick Cheney and Bush adviser Karl Rove.
What's more, the original songs used here, by Stephen Trask ("Hedwig and the Angry Inch"), sound as generic as songs that end up on the real "American Idol" show. Maybe that's the point, but it's certainly not amusing.
"American Dreamz" is rated PG-13 for some war violence (shootings and explosive mayhem), occasional use of strong profanity (including multiple use of the so-called "R-rated" curse word), crude sexual humor and references, and some brief drug content (involving anti-depressants). Running time: 99 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com