American Dreamz

Kat: l
Tyler: l.5

American Dreamz let down even my low expectations of it. This "explosive comedy by the Director of 'American Pie' and 'About a Boy", was an implossion of tragic proportions, with a lot more "American Pie" than "About a Boy" but little of the witt, bite or spark. Its limited potential at being a clever parody, exposing the ironies of national politics, foreign affairs and pop culture was far from fulfilled. Instead, it juggles a convoluted story that is ultimately shallow, tasteless and uninsightful. American Dreamz, or "Dreams with a Z" as the performers often repeat, feels like a cheap teen comedy with an immensely silly plot and equally pathetic subplots. It failed miserably next to other recent comedies, such as "Saved" or even "Mean Girls", which tried to be much less but achieved much much more.

Unfortunately, the parade of Hollywood Stars, Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore and Willem Dafoe fail miserably at giving the movie its necessary spark. Instead, you will find them in some of their most uninspired performances. This is particularly the case with Dennis Quaid and Willem Dafoe, who attempt to make an obvious parody of President Bush and Dick Chenney. The president is a mindless puppet who can barely read a newspaper and can not distinguish the "Iraqistanis" from the other "A-rabs", while his right hand man dictates his actions through an ear piece. But the parody has no bite and leaves no insight. The president is shown as a good hearted man (wtf?) who finally stands his ground for what he believes, and his cartoonishly evil advisor hides in the shadows in shame.
Generally poor and sometimes atrocious performances further undermine the story. In the end, a couple of mindless laughs do not make up for the waste of time.

- Tyler