American Dreamz poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Dennis Quaid, Hugh Grant, Mandy Moore, Willem Dafoe, Chris Klein ... see more see more... , Jennifer Coolidge , Sam Golzari , Marcia Gay Harden , Seth Meyers , John Cho , Judy Greer , Bernard White , Tony Yalda , Noureen DeWulf , Shohreh Aghdashloo , Jay Harik

The President of the United States (Dennis Quaid) seems to be having a nervous breakdown after picking up a newspaper for the first time in four years, and when his Chief of Staff (Willem Dafoe) deter... read more read more...mines to get the Commander in Chief out of his pajamas and back into the spotlight, the stage is set for a talent contest that the nation will never forget. To President Staton, the world is a fairly black-and-white place, but a glance at the daily headlines on the eve of his reelection leaves the most powerful man in the free world shaken to the very core. Now determined to read as much as possible in order to best assess the opinions of the general public, President Staton locks himself away and obsessively begins taking in as much information as humanly possible. With concern about the President's mental health soon taking precedence over all other issues in the White House, his nervous Chief of Staff attempts to get the Commander in Chief back in the public eye by booking him as a guest judge on television's top-rated talent show, "American Dreamz." A weekly ratings juggernaut hosted by self-loathing celebrity Martin Tweed (Hugh Grant), "American Dreamz" cashes in on the dominant culture of celebrity by affording everyday Americans the opportunity to be catapulted into stardom. As "American Dreamz" hopefuls Sally (Mandy Moore) and Omer (Sam Golzari) progress to the final round and the President takes his seat on the panel, an unexpected revelation about one of the finalists promises to make this season finale the biggest ratings grabber in television history. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

33% liked it

94,879 ratings

Critics

41% liked it

155 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 48 min.

Directed by: Paul Weitz

Release Date: April 21, 2006

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: October 3, 2006

Get It:

Stats: 4,395 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

American Dreamz American Dreamz Hugh Grant (as Martin Tweed) in 'American Dreamz' Mandy Moore (as Sally Kendoo) in 'American Dreamz' Sam Golzari (as Omer) in 'American Dreamz' American Dreamz Seth Meyers (as Chet Krogl) in 'American Dreamz' William Williams American Dreamz Chris Klein (as William Williams) in 'American Dreamz' Martha Kendoo Willem Dafoe Chief of Staff and First Lady Staton Dennis Quaid and his character 'President Staton' from 'American Dreamz' Jennifer Coolidge (as Martha Kendoo) in 'American Dreamz' American Dreamz Marcia Gay Harden (as First Lady) in 'American Dreamz' Willem Dafoe (as Chief of Staff) in 'American Dreamz'
Upload a Photo | View All American Dreamz Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (4,395)

  • DreamExtractor
    April 4, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    This movie sucked, I hated every moment of it. It was unfunny, bad story, characters are idiots, and the ending was retarded.
  • aliceinpunderland
    July 10, 2010
    aliceinpunderland
    Laugh-out-loud satire about our land of excess. Omer, the terrorist, is the most reasonable character in the entire movie: "I just feel confused...about this country. There are so many nice people here, but it does so much harm in the world... So to what degree is this country... read more culpable for its actions? Are Americans to blame for America?"
  • SirPant
    June 1, 2010
    SirPant
    American Dreamz has good intentions, it just takes too much on. Weitz should have picked a subject, concentrated on that one subject and he'd have been laughing. In the end his attempt at satire just becomes a gibbering rant that goes of at such a tangent that the entire point so... read moreon gets lost. It's a shame but there are enough witty quips to keep you mildly entertained and I thought Dennis Quaid did a good Bush impression!
  • ythelastman89
    December 8, 2009
    ythelastman89
    A completely unintentional awkward movie. It has absolutely no plot and is a mess. It seems to be nothing more than a series of impressions of celebrities and political figures. However, the only one that seems to work is Willem Dafoe's, who is one scary Dick Cheney.
  • jennifxu
    June 30, 2009
    jennifxu
    First off I'd like to say how thoroughly entertained I was with all the music, dancing, and Mandy Moore. Oddly enough she has become the newest addition to the mecca of stars that I Will Watch In Anything, alongside Anna Faris, Evan Rachel Wood, Lisa Kudrow, and Isla Fisher. That... read more being said, the movie doesn't really deliver what it claims to. It's not a serious satire - not exaggerated enough, not funny enough, and not barbed enough. The Bush-Cheney parody was just kind of stupid and unnecessary; I guess they did an ok job acting it but I feel like the American Idol parody could have stood alone fine without it. Hugh Grant is good at playing assholes, check. Jennifer Coolidge is a funny lady, check. The Middle Eastern dancing made me happy. But take away Mandy Moore and you take away half the movie.
  • fb619846742
    April 14, 2009
    fb619846742
    An uneven mockery of American pop culture and politics. The scenes with Dennis Quaid portraying a Bush clone are the best, although that's not saying very much considering the movie isn't very good. It's main problem is that it falls victim to what it's trying to make fun of. I g... read moreet the fact that it's a self-parody to a degree, but the ending is so poorly put together, it really makes you wonder, why did this movie have to be made? When numerous, gaping plot holes are exposed when it tries to be political, you don't buy it. When it tries to have a "sweet" side, you can't feel good for the characters (usually Grant and Moore) involved. This movie is a great example of a good idea wasted on a dumb script with unfunny characters.
  • ironclad1609
    August 10, 2008
    ironclad1609
    This satire doesn't show much respect for anything. A dumb president and his adviser, clearly reminiscent of Bush and Cheney, Arabic terrorists, white trash American Idol contestants and an arrogant host, all are being treated equally by this movie and made fun of. The only likab... read morele character is actually (and intentionally) the singing dancing terrorist, which says a lot. In other words, the script is actually pretty smart in all its exaggerated yet spot on observations on those topics. What's lacking are some really big laughs, though. The cast is well picked and makes up for the lack of jokes. Entertaining and actually quite mean.
  • FiLmCrAzY
    November 4, 2007
    FiLmCrAzY
    very poor
    very very boring no point to it one of hugh grants worst films terrible
  • mjgildea
    June 26, 2007
    mjgildea
    I'm a big fan of satire and for as much as American Dreamz bashed both Bush and American Idol, my expectations were needless to say pretty high as it showed more promise than a gorgeous nymphomaniac with low standards, deep pockets and no self esteem. And for as great a job as Qu... read moreaid and Dafoe did tackling Bush and Cheney respectively (not to mention how well Grant portrays the douchy hybrid of Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest), it all fell flat. Mandy Moore was contemptible in a really boring way, Jennifer Coolidge was grossly underused and for as funny as a few of the lines were, I just found myself not caring when it was done.
  • wildaly14
    May 16, 2007
    wildaly14
    I think anyone who 'hates' this movie or give it a bad review obviously didn't GET the movie. It's a parody. Satire. It's making fun of people. Most likely those people include YOU.

View All American Dreamz Reviews

Critic Reviews

Stanley Kauffmann
May 5, 2006
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic

A moderately engaging satire, some of it amusing and some of it strained, but in considerable measure it reflects a strange circumstance in all our lives. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
April 27, 2006
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

[A] satirically unbalanced in its attempted fusion of such varied targets as George Bush, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Muslim suicide bombers, and the hosts and contestants on American Idol.

Richard Roeper
April 24, 2006
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

In the words of Simon, it's a complete and utter disaster. Full Review

Desson Thomson
April 21, 2006
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

[Paul] Weitz co-directed the wonderful About a Boy in 2002, but in Dreamz -- a tediously facile satire -- his comic instincts fail him. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
April 21, 2006
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

Like a commander-in-chief who's too good-naturedly dumb to be dangerous, the writer-director is ultimately too forgiving to do much bruising. (Or maybe too calculating, which kind of blurs into the sa... Full Review

Mick LaSalle
April 21, 2006
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

American Dreamz is the rare case of a movie that gets better as it goes along. Full Review

Roger Moore
April 21, 2006
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

American Dreamz isn't mean enough or funny enough. Full Review

Lisa Rose
April 21, 2006
Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger

It's a disappointing effort from witty writer-director Paul Weitz (American Pie, In Good Company). He tries to weave a subversive tapestry a la Nashville but only tells a story full of holes. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
April 21, 2006
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

A cartoonish, unfocused and mostly unfunny satire that doesn't come within a hundred miles of hitting its two main targets.

Jack Mathews
April 21, 2006
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News

The devilishness of satire is in the details, and [Paul] Weitz's script just isn't as funny or as consistently sharp as it should be. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Idiocracy
    Idiocracy (93%)
  • W.
    W. (81%)
  • About a Boy
    About a Boy (57%)
  • Air Guitar Nation
    Air Guitar Nation (50%)

More Movies like American Dreamz

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • Sally Kendoo: [while kissing in vid] Did you get that?
    • Martin Tweed: DIRTY BITCH!
Submit a Fact | View All

American Dreamz : Watch Free on TV

American Dreamz Trivia

  • He took a "blow" from Mrs. Brown, went to Notting Hill, made some Sense & Sensibility out of Ang Lee, and pondered the American Dreamz. Who is he?  Answer »
  • What is the movie that follows the structure of a top American TV Show with a twist at the end??   Answer »
  • Ewan McGregor was not in this movie.   Answer »
  • In the movie "American Dreamz." Who played the U.S. President?   Answer »
More American Dreamz Trivia

Movie Quizzes

Create a Quiz |

All Quizzes

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add American Dreamz to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?