American Dreamz (2006)

The new season of "American Dreamz," the wildly popular television singing contest, has captured the country's attention, as the competition looks to be between a young Midwestern gal (Moore) and a showtunes-loving young man from Orange County (Golzari). Recently awakened President Staton (Quaid) even wants in on the craze, as he signs up for the potential explosive season finale.

Director:

Paul Weitz

Writer:

Paul Weitz

Stars:

Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Grant	...	Martin Tweed
Dennis Quaid	...	President Staton
Mandy Moore	...	Sally Kendoo
Willem Dafoe	...	Chief of Staff
Chris Klein	...	William Williams
Jennifer Coolidge	...	Martha Kendoo
Sam Golzari	...	Omer
Marcia Gay Harden	...	First Lady
Seth Meyers	...	Chet Krogl
John Cho	...	Ittles
Judy Greer	...	Accordo
Bernard White	...	Agha Babur
Winter Jones	...	Iqbal Riza (as Tony Yalda)
Noureen DeWulf	...	Shazzy Riza
Shohreh Aghdashloo	...	Nazneen Riza

Storyline

Martin Tweed is the host of a talent show called American Dreamz, and whilst he despises each new season, it's a hit with the ratings. Tweed decides it's time for a new and interesting batch of contestants, and sends out his team to find the weirdest bunch possible. Whilst all this is happening, the President of the United States is becoming more and more depressed, and relies on his Chief of Staff to talk him through everything, even into appearing as a judge on the TV show. Perfect news for the terrorists who use the talent contest as a way to reach the President.

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Plot Keywords:

president | contest | chief of staff | terrorist | singing | 

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Taglines:

Imagine a country where the President never reads the newspaper, where the government goes to war for all the wrong reasons, and more people vote for a pop idol than their next President.

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Genres:

Comedy | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

UIP [France] UIP [UK]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Mandarin

Release Date:

21 April 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

American Dreamz - Alles nur Show

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Center Studios - 450 S. Bixel Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£690,625 (UK) (21 April 2006)

Gross:

$7,156,725 (USA) (12 May 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Depth of Field

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Writer/director Paul Weitz claims that he wrote the original draft of the American Dreamz (2006) script before he had ever watched an episode of American Idol (2002).

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Goofs

Sally's boyfriend and the production staff look through a dressing room keyhole. The keyhole is to a modern tumbler lock, which can't be seen through.

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Quotes

President Staton: I've had speechwriters write for me all of my career and advisors telling me what positions to take. I can't even remember why I wanted to get into politics to begin with. I think it's because my mom wanted me to, to show my dad any idiot could do it.

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Connections

References Larry King Live (1985)

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Soundtracks

Dreams with a Z
Written by Stephen Trask
Performed by Mandy Moore

User Reviews

The best modern political statement possible!!!! Modern Dr. Strangelove

This is a film that I always wanted to see in theaters, but unfortunately, it came & went rather quickly becoming a big box office flop. But one thing that this film proves is, that the box office is no measuring spoon for a great film. American Dreamz is perhaps the best kept secret of the year. It's the perfect satire for the modern condition of the world, and it's extremely entertaining to boot. This film is simply a mirror into the human and world affairs of today. If it seems a little ridiculous then maybe it should. The all-star cast, written, produced, and directed by Paul Weitz (In Good Company, About A Boy, and his notorious American Pie) is definitely his best, most ambitious, and most clever film. From a show-tune loving Islamic terrorist, to the very "Simon" like talent competition judge (portrayed by Hugh Grant), American Dreamz is truly the Dr. Strangelove of our time. It has the boldness and audacity to make powerful statements through its use of sarcasm and satire. The direct assault on our modern world couldn't have been as poignantly portrayed. Dennis Quaid's Bush-like portrayal of the presidency, Mandy Moore's modern drama queen that we've all come in contact with amidst the halls of our high school, Willem DaFoe's direct likeness to Dick Cheney, the young war hero wounded in the Iraq war, every element of this film is perfect for today. I can only dream that America is smart enough to get the message of American Dreamz.