---

American Dreamz is one of those films that is not going to be on the list of Oscar nominees come next year, but it’s not as bad as Pluto Nash or other mainstream bombs.

This movie is a satire, not only of George Bush, but of American Idol and terrorists as well.

The film has a big name cast in Hugh Grant, Willem Dafoe, Dennis Quaid, Marcia Gay Harden and Mandy Moore.

Quaid plays a simple George Bush-like president name Staton who has just won a second term in office. He does a good job of playing dumb and garnering laughs.

Dafoe as Vice-president Sutter plays the puppet-master, getting the president to say and do what he wants.

This includes getting the president on to guest judge the final of American Dreamz, an American Idol type singing competition.

Grant underwhelms as the host and judge of the show, never living up to the standard that Simon Cowell brings to the real-life version. Of all the performers, Grant’s is the most disappointing as he plays the soulless Martin Tweed.

Moore goes against type-casting as scheming white trash pretty girl Sally Kendoo trying to scratch her way to the top of the singing contest.

The role is a caricature and is something we can see played every week by Jaime Pressley in TV’s My Name is Earl.

Seth Meyers provides quite a few chuckles as Moore’s scum-of-the-earth agent.

Sam Goleri does a nice turn as an inept Arab terrorist who becomes a show tune singing contest on the show.

Goleri’s mission is to blow up President Staton in the finale of American Dreamz, but is torn between living the good life and fulfilling his covert objective.

Overall, it was a pleasant way to open the Bermuda International Film Festival, but it lacked any sort of real buzz to kick it off.[[In-content Ad]]

---