Dir. Paul Weitz, US, 2006, Dur 108 mins
Cast: Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, Sam Golzari
Review by Carol Allen
Paul Weitz's American Dreamz satirically skewers two aspects of today's society – our paranoia about the terrorist threat and TV reality shows with their cult of celebrity. Hugh Grant plays the ruthless and smarmy host of the title show “American Dreamz” - a search for talent-cum-reality show in the Pop Idol mould. It's the sort of charming cad character he played in Bridget Jones, only with rather more grit and edge, and very English in the sort of way the Americans see us. The character's even called Martin Tweed, for goodness sake! Director Weitz seems to bring out the best in Grant, if you remember About a Boy. He shares the limelight with an impressive collection of other actors. Dennis Quaid plays the US President, a bit of a Bush in the IQ and lack-of-world-knowledge department, but a lot more cuddly and endearing. Marcia Gay Harden doesn't have a lot to do as his First Lady and Willem Defoe looks like a refugee from The West Wing as the President's spin doctor. Mandy Moore is the rapacious, cunning blonde who is determined to win the talent contest whatever it takes, with Chris Klein as her none-too-bright ex-soldier boyfriend.
And where does the terrorism come in? In the form of a very talented newcomer, Sam Golzari, who is a real find. He plays Omer, totally incompetent and bottom of the class in terrorist training camp, who is sent to America to stay with relatives, which suits him fine as the real love of his life is Broadway musicals, rather than politics. He enters the talent contest but is then activated as a reluctant suicide bomber by his terrorist masters in a plot to blow up the President on air. Which doesn't perhaps sound like the stuff of comedy, but Weitz succeeds in making it so by pinpointing the total ridiculousness of both paranoia and political posturing on both sides. Interestingly for an American film in these times, the scenes between Golzari and Tony Yalda as his vain, would-be rock star cousin - both actors of Middle Eastern ethnicity – are some of the most engaging in the film. It's a very sharp, nicely written script with lots of good, irreverent gags and the way the story is resolved is unexpected, cynical and very satisfying.
Discuss this film here
|
