“American Dreamz”
Universal Pictures
Directed by Paul Weitz
Starring Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, Sam Golzari, Willem Dafoe, Marcia Gay Hardin, Tony Yalda and Chris Klein
Rated PG-13

2 Stars

Politics collide with pop culture in the surprisingly mild satire known as “American Dreamz.” I mean, c’mon, this is a film with the audacity to poke fun at “American Idol,” the Bush Administration and terrorists living among us. Yet for some reason, director Paul Weitz (“About a Boy”) doesn’t seem to have anything poignant to say about any of these topics, opting instead to recycle broad generalities that have already been run into the ground on late night talk shows.

Dennis Quaid plays a President Bush-like figure (despite his claims to the contrary) who is suffering through a crisis of confidence and plummeting poll numbers. To get him back into the public eye, he agrees to be the guest judge on an American Idol-style talent show known as “American Dreamz.” Sam Golzari plays Omar; a bumbling terrorist sleeper agent who happens to love show tunes and is one of the show’s finalists. Mild-mannered Omar is ordered to blow himself up during the show’s finale, killing the President and a pop-culture institution in one grand act of violence.

Throw in Mandy Moore as the other finalist, Chris Klein as her soldier boyfriend, Hugh Grant as the inspired-by-Simon show host, Marcia Gay Hardin as the first lady and Willem Dafoe as a Karl Rove/Dick Cheney mash up and you end up with an over-stuffed story that doesn’t allow much time for focused satire.

The film does have a nice momentum, and the cast is certainly having fun. Moore and Grant are very funny, although Quaid’s amiable imbecile of a President too milquetoast to really register. And kudos to Tony Yalda, playing Omar’s effeminate cousin who steals every one of his scenes.

The bottom line is that “American Dreamz” claims to be a biting satire, but without a real point of view on any of its topics, ends up being just an amusing piece of disposable entertainment. If you’re satisfied with a pop culture piffle like this, you might as well stay home and watch “American Idol” on TV for free.

Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are published Wednesdays and Fridays in “The Port Arthur News” and he can be heard weekly on KOLE and KVIC Radio. For more reviews, log on to www.seanthemovieguy.com. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@kavutv.com.