At the Moviez

I went to see the movie "American Dreamz" this afternoon. I was not particularly impressed. This is the movie where Dennis Quaid plays an idiot U.S. President who attempts to reform his image by appearing on the smash hit talent reality show of the title, hosted by a crude and blunt Brit played by Hugh Grant. The tagline on the poster (as I've displayed on the right) says it all: "Imagine a country where the President never reads the newspaper, where the government goes to war for all the wrong reasons, and where more people vote for a pop idol than their next President." Subtle, no?

As that tagline suggests, this movie adhered just a little too close to the reality it was trying to lampoon. It wasn't "wild" enough to be satire. But it wasn't making any real "point" to justify it being such a close mirror of real life, either.

Above all... it really wasn't very funny. They were a few good laughs sprinkled in here and there. (Mostly in the last 20 minutes of the movie.) But there were far more long stretches where I sat in silence. And blame it on me being out too late on the nights before if you like, but there was one point where I actually almost fell asleep.

I rate the movie a D+. If you could prepare a "highlights reel" of this film (maybe about three or four minutes long), that would be worth watching. But, until that day, I say "stay away." And no, the trailer for the movie doesn't really qualify as said highlights reel -- this was a rare instance where the best parts weren't all spoiled in the trailer.