American Dreamz (2006)

Director:

Paul Weitz

Writer (WGA):

Paul Weitz (written by)

Release Date:

21 April 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music

Tagline:

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.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Chief Of Staff | Contest | Satire | Singing | Television

Cast

Hugh Grant	...	Martin Tweed
Dennis Quaid	...	President Joseph Staton
Mandy Moore	...	Sally Kendoo
Willem Dafoe	...	Chief of Staff
Chris Klein	...	William Williams
Jennifer Coolidge	...	Martha Kendoo
Sam Golzari	...	Omer Obeidi
Marcia Gay Harden	...	First Lady Staton
Seth Meyers	...	Chet Krogl
John Cho	...	Frank Ittles
Judy Greer	...	Deborah Accordo
Bernard White	...	Agha Babur
Tony Yalda	...	Iqbal Riza
Noureen DeWulf	...	Shazzy Riza
Shohreh Aghdashloo	...	Nazneen Riza
Jay Harik	...	Ali Riza
Adam Busch	...	Sholem Glickstein
Haaz Sleiman	...	Mujeheddin Captain
Nick Schutt	...	Cameraman
Lisa K. Wyatt	...	Aunt Edna
Beau Holden	...	Uncle Fitz
Tim Rhoze	...	Stage Manager (as Tim Edward Rhoze)
Marley Shelton	...	Jessica
Lawrence Pressman	...	White House Butler
Aldis Hodge	...	Soldier Chuck
Christianne Klein	...	White House Reporter
Chao Li Chi	...	Chinese Premiere (as Chao-Li Chi)
Andrew Divoff	...	Chinese Translator
James Gleason	...	Journalist
Michael D. Roberts	...	Journalist
Kevin R. Kelly	...	Journalist
Mike Batayeh	...	Terrorist Director
Sean-Michael Bowles	...	Hip Hop Kid
Riley Gibbs	...	Skate Punk
Jordan Havard	...	Skate Punk
Joshua Wade Miller	...	Show Contestant (as Joshua Wade)
Trey Parker	...	Show Contestant
Niki J. Crawford	...	Show Contestant
Samantha Jade Gibbs	...	Show Contestant
Amir Mahmoud	...	Show Contestant
John Griffin	...	Show Contestant
Danny Ehrhardt	...	Montage Performer
Natascha Corrigan	...	Montage Performer
Sarah Culberson	...	Montage Performer
Perrey Reeves	...	Marni
Daniel Weiss	...	Man in Line
Karen Gordon	...	Sally's Makeup Artist
Carmen Electra	...	Herself
Kevin Makely	...	Secret Service Man
Richard Bartlett	...	Secret Service Man
Jerome Caldwell	...	Secret Service Man
Jeffrey Ross	...	Oscar
Andean Banks	...	Back-up Singer
Jael Gadsden	...	Back-up Singer
Maree Morris	...	Back-up Singer
Deon Lucas	...	Video Audition (as N'Daba Divine)
Adrian Zaw	...	Video Audition
Leopoldo Mandeville	...	Dignitary (as Leopoldo Papi Mandeville)
Bruce Garrick	...	Crew Member
P.D. Mani	...	Cohort
Sathyanath Nambiar	...	Cohort
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Amelia Beaugard	...	Iqbal's Personal Assistant (uncredited)
Chrystal Carpenter	...	Bar Voter (uncredited)
Sinsu Co	...	Performer (uncredited)
John D. Crawford	...	Studio Security (uncredited)
Nima Dabestani	...	Assistant Stage Manager (uncredited)
Fumi Desalu	...	Sally's Hairdresser (uncredited)
Sue Fletcher	...	Show Contestant (uncredited)
Dave Huber	...	Security Guard (uncredited)
Derek Kazahaya	...	Hairstylist (uncredited)
Kelly Knox	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Cameron Lee	...	Studio Audience (uncredited)
Kira Legg	...	Fan (uncredited)
Wally Lozano	...	Terrorist (uncredited)
Sarita Michelle	...	Hollywood Girl (uncredited)
Cheryl Moore	...	Sally's Neighbor (uncredited)
Brandon Morrissey	...	Contestant (uncredited)
Neal Orion	...	Performer (uncredited)
Hash Patel	...	Terrorist (uncredited)
Neil Patil	...	Terrorist (uncredited)
Jia Perlich	...	Hollywood Girl (uncredited)
Christian Reeve	...	Terrorist Film Crew / Boom Operator (uncredited)
Lester G. Reynolds	...	Evacuee (uncredited)
Jacob Tawney	...	Secret Service (uncredited)
Ali Zamani	...	Terrorist (uncredited)

Directed by
Paul Weitz

Writing credits (WGA)
Paul Weitz		(written by)

Produced by
Kerry Kohansky	....	executive producer
Rodney Liber	....	producer
Andrew Miano	....	producer
Chris Weitz	....	executive producer
Paul Weitz	....	producer

Original Music by
Stephen Trask

Cinematography by
Robert Elswit

Film Editing by
Myron I. Kerstein

Casting by
Joseph Middleton

Production Design by
William Arnold

Art Direction by
Sue Chan

Set Decoration by
David Smith

Costume Design by
Molly Maginnis

Makeup Department
Simone Almekias-Siegl	....	key makeup artist
Steve Artmont	....	makeup department head
Ron Berkeley	....	makeup artist: Mr. Quaid
David Fields	....	hair stylist: Mr. Grant
Deborah K. Larsen	....	makeup artist: Mr. Grant (as Deborah Larsen)
Edward Morrison	....	key hair stylist
Kelly Nelson	....	hair stylist: Mr. Quaid
Barbara Olvera	....	hair department head
Marianna Elias	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Rob Hinderstein	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Marsha Shearrill	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Robert Hackl	....	post-production supervisor
Andrew G. La Marca	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alexander H. Gayner	....	first assistant director: additional photography
Danny Green	....	second assistant director
Mark Anthony Little	....	first assistant director
Michael T. McNerney	....	additional second assistant director
Cecilia Sweatman	....	second second assistant director (as Cecelia Sweatman)

Art Department
Ruben Abacara	....	drapery foreman (as Ruben Abarca)
Bennett Andrews	....	on-set greensman
Ellis J. Barbacoff	....	assistant property master
Cliff Bergman	....	general foreman
Tony Bonaventura	....	property master
John Bratton	....	set dresser
Richard Brunton	....	lead man
Ernie Cardona	....	propmaker
Peggy Casey	....	buyer
Marienus Cetani Sr.	....	painter (as Marienus Cetani)
Scott Edward Collins	....	set dresser
Mike Cunningham	....	assistant property master
Mario D'Alfonso	....	labor foreman
Eric DeWaay	....	construction foreman
Canada Johanna Gordon	....	art department coordinator (as Canada Gordon)
Brenner Hugh Harris	....	set dresser
Eric Hill	....	set dresser
Christian Kastner	....	on-set dresser
Adam Khalid	....	graphic designer
Elizabeth Lapp	....	set designer
Ray Lopez	....	plaster foreman (as Raymond D. Lopez)
Cameron Matheson	....	set dresser
William F. McLaughlin	....	property assistant
Sam Mendoza	....	propmaker
Steven M. Miller	....	greens foreman
David M. Milstien	....	set dresser (as David Milstein)
Terry Nagel	....	propmaker
Roger Prater	....	greens stand-by
Lazar Samarzich	....	greens gangboss (as Cazar Samarzich)
Kelly Schultz	....	set dresser
Alexa Shushan	....	stand-by painter
Hunter Woo	....	art department production assistant

Sound Department
Christopher Alba	....	assistant sound editor (as Chris Alba)
Bob Baron	....	adr mixer
Rick Canelli	....	adr recordist
Julia Evershade	....	supervising adr & dialogue editor
Peter Gleaves	....	adr mixer
Alder Hampel	....	assistant sound editor
Shawn Kennelly	....	foley mixer
Gregg Landaker	....	supervising sound mixer
Eric Lindemann	....	sound designer (as Eric Warren Lundeman)
Eric Lindemann	....	supervising sound editor (as Eric Warren Lundeman)
Laura Macias	....	foley artist
David McDonald	....	adr recordist
Peggy Names	....	sound utility
Vince Nicastro	....	foley artist
Thomas J. O'Connell	....	adr mixer
Tim O'Heir	....	sound pre-recordist
Brion Paccassi	....	sound recordist
Peter Reale	....	supervising sound mixer
Earl Sampson	....	boom operator
Reuben Simon	....	supervising foley editor
Noah Snyder	....	digital recordist
Daniel Victor	....	stereo sound consultant: DTS
Daniel W. Victor Jr.	....	DTS engineer
Bryan O. Watkins	....	sound effects editor
Nathan Whitehead	....	assistant sound designer
David Wyman	....	production sound mixer
David Wyman	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Chris Bailey	....	special effects foreman
John C. Hartigan	....	special effects supervisor (as John Hartigan)

Visual Effects by
Mark Freund	....	visual effects supervisor: Pacific Title
Doug Luberts	....	video & data I/O supervisor
Bob Wiatr	....	digital compositor: Pacific Title

Stunts
Ted Barba	....	stunt performer
Gregg Brazzel	....	stunt performer (as Gregg Brazel)
Alex Brown	....	stunt performer
Lori Crowder	....	stunt performer
Shawn Crowder	....	stunt performer
Alan Diambekov	....	stunt performer (as Alan Boris Diambekov)
Randall Huber	....	stunt performer
Rawn Hutchinson	....	stunt coordinator
Ernie Johnson	....	stunt performer (as Ernie Thrash Johnson)
Oliver Keller	....	stunt driver
Kim Robert Koscki	....	stunt performer (as Kim Koscki)
Will Leong	....	stunt performer
James Logan	....	stunt performer
Dailyn Matthews	....	stunt performer
Chris Nielsen	....	stunt performer (as John Christian Nielsen)
Gaylynn Schmidt	....	stunt performer
Ann Scott	....	stunt performer
Michelle Sebek	....	stunt performer
C.C. Taylor	....	stunt performer
Mark Varner	....	stunt performer
Jose L. Vasquez	....	stunt performer (as Jose Vasquez)
Kevin Ward	....	stunt performer
Boni Yanagisawa	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Samantha Bahramian	....	set lighting technician
Erik L. Brown	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Gary S. Christie	....	dolly grip (as Gary Christie)
Kelly Clear	....	chief lighting technician
Chris Culliton	....	best boy electric (as Christopher M. Culliton)
Willie E. Dawkins	....	set lighting technician
Michael Franco	....	best boy rigging electric
Ryan French	....	electrician
Steven W. Gage	....	best boy rigging grip
Bryan Gilbert	....	grip
David Golia	....	camera operator: "b" camera (as David John Golia)
Joseph Graham	....	key rigging grip (as Joseph A. Graham)
Sheila Greene	....	rigging electrician
Sean Haeseler	....	electrician
Kieran Healy	....	consultant: special lighting
Christian Hibbard	....	stage lighting operator
Jay M. Huntoon	....	digital video assist operator
Barry Idoine	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Troye Jenkins	....	documentary camera operator
Michael Kenner	....	key grip
Alexandra Kravetz	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Jeff Kunkel	....	dolly grip (as Jeffrey S. Kunkel)
Paul Lambiase	....	grip
Damon Liebowitz	....	set lighting technician
Scott Medcalf	....	set lighting technician (as Scott Metcalf)
Scott Moody	....	lamp operator
John Morris	....	best boy grip (as John P. Morris III)
Michael Nie	....	crane operator: Technocrane
Patrick B. O'Brien	....	camera operator
Derek Paulin	....	lamp operator (as Derek M. Paulin)
Brian T. Pitts	....	additional camera operator
Thoma Reavis	....	electrician
P. Scott Sakamoto	....	Steadicam operator
P. Scott Sakamoto	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Mariana Sánchez de Antuñano	....	additional first assistant camera
Miguel Sánchez	....	set lighting technician
Tom Schurke	....	video playback supervisor
Hank Sheppherd	....	grip
Riley Sidore	....	lamp operator
Cricket Sloat	....	rigging gaffer
Larissa Supplitt	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Scott Wells	....	grip
Matthew W. Williams	....	loader
Glen Wilson	....	still photographer
Thomas Wily	....	lamp operator

Animation Department
Gary Hebert	....	animator: title animation

Casting Department
Janine Campbell	....	extras casting assistant
Lauren Grey	....	casting associate
Barbara Harris	....	adr voice casting
Tina Kerr	....	extras casting
Terry L. Lamfers	....	casting administrator
Rachel Tenner	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bethany Bernhard	....	set costumer
Nanrose Buchman	....	key costumer
Pamela Lee Incardona	....	costumer (as Pamela Incardona)
Sandy Kenyon	....	costume supervisor
Mandi Line	....	costumer
Lorraine Alexis Mahru	....	costumer (as Lorraine Mahru)
Sybil Mosely	....	costumer
Felipe Sanchez	....	costume illustrator

Editorial Department
Dannielle Carr	....	editorial production assistant
Michael Ford	....	editorial production assistant
Rachel Goodlett	....	first assistant editor
Mo Henry	....	negative cutter
Marisa Morabito	....	second assistant editor
Tim Stipan	....	digital opticals colorist
Greg Thompson	....	first assistant editor
Lee Wimer	....	color timer

Music Department
Tim Boot	....	additional music editor
Julian Bratolyubov	....	music preparation
Debbi Datz-Pyle	....	music contractor
Amanda Goodpaster	....	music: digital orchestral timings
Greg Hayes	....	score recordist
Charles Martin Inouye	....	supervising music editor
Damon Intrabartolo	....	conductor
Damon Intrabartolo	....	orchestrator
Tim Lauber	....	scoring crew
Jason Lloyd	....	scoring crew
Kathy Nelson	....	music supervisor
Stacey Robinson	....	scoring crew
Tim Rodier	....	music preparation
Lior Rosner	....	music arranger
Bart Samolis	....	musician
Dennis S. Sands	....	music scoring mixer (as Dennis Sands)
Patrick Spain	....	score assistant engineer
Tom Steel	....	scoring crew
Bill Talbott	....	scoring crew
Tim Boot	....	music playback supervisor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Paulie DiCocco	....	driver: Willem Dafoe
Joey Freitas	....	driver
Shawn Marchetti	....	transportation assistant
Ron Poniewaz Jr.	....	transportation captain (as Ron F. Poniewaz Jr.)
Claudia Rojas	....	transportation office administrator
Steve D. Weinmuller	....	transportation coordinator
Gary 'Little G' Williams	....	driver: Mr, Weitz
Russ Tolliver	....	production driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Frank Annunziata	....	assistant: Mandy Moore
Frank Annunziata	....	production assistant
Dan Balgoyen	....	assistant: Kerry Kohansky
Megan Brown	....	second assistant accountant
Ericka Bryce	....	medic
Justin Carville	....	first assistant accountant: additional photography
Brian Clark	....	rigging medic
Eric Clark	....	stand-in: Hugh Grant (as Erik Clark)
Merrilee Dale	....	accountant (as Merrilee A. Dale)
Paulette Dauber	....	unit publicist
Tom Dooley	....	stand-in: Dennis Quaid
Jon E. Edwards	....	production assistant
Karen C. Eide	....	assistant: Willem Dafoe (as Karen Eide Haney)
Leann Emmert	....	assistant location manager
Michelle Finkelstein	....	production assistant (as Gary Williams)
Rachel Flackett	....	production assistant
Yvonne M. Gabrielli	....	craft service (as Yvonne Gabrielli)
Colleen Gibbons	....	location manager
Sherri Robin Goldman	....	first assistant accountant (as Sherri Goldman)
Vanessa Grayson	....	stand-in: Marcia Gay Harden
Sheila Greene	....	follow spot operator
Pamela B. Green	....	main title producer
Kimberly A. Harrison	....	assistant: Jennifer Coolidge
Rebecca Hedrick	....	assistant: Rodney Liber (as Rebecca Ferrell Hedrick)
Jay Herrion	....	production assistant
David Hickey	....	payroll accountant
Marc Hofstatter	....	assistant: Andrew Miano
Beau Holden	....	assistant: Dennis Quaid
Roseanne Holmes	....	asset coordinator
Josh Holden Hume	....	production assistant
Tamara A. Kalca	....	medic (as Tamara Ann Kalka)
Kristofer Kolpek	....	key set production assistant: additional photography
Jeffrey E. Kramer	....	production assistant (as Jeff Kramer)
Kelly Lane	....	basecamp production assistant: re-shoots
Jennifer Li Jackson	....	choreographer (as Jennifer Li)
Esther Lopez	....	table person
Micah May	....	stand-in
Karly Meola	....	production assistant
Scott D. Moore	....	assistant: Mandy Moore
Michael 'Mox' Pappas	....	craft service (as Michael Pappas)
Derek Paulin	....	follow spot operator
Monica Perez Gelbman	....	post-production accountant
Leah Piehl	....	production assistant (as Leah Michelle Piehl)
Catherine Quigley	....	stand-in
Monique Ramirez	....	assistant: Paul Weitz
Larry Ring	....	location manager: second unit
Katie Sadock	....	production assistant
Jennifer Salada	....	second assistant accountant (as Jennifer Van Hoven)
Albert Salsich	....	assistant location manager
Matthew Segal	....	production assistant
Mary Anne Seward	....	script supervisor
Jim Small	....	location assistant: second unit
Jeremiah Stafford	....	production assistant
Aaron Ali Tichenor	....	production assistant (as Aaron Tichenor)
Jarik Van Sluijs	....	creative director: main titles
Matt Walters	....	production secretary
Robert West	....	production coordinator
Sara Woodhatch	....	assistant: Hugh Grant

Production Companies

• NBC Universal Television
• Depth of Field

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2006) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2006) (Argentina) (VHS)
• RTL Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing) (RTL5)
• Star Channel (2007) (Japan) (TV)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2006) (Argentina) (all media)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (2007) (Japan) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Pacific Title (visual effects and digital opticals)

Other Companies

• Film Art  art consulting
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• Danetracks  sound design & editorial
• Lakeshore Records  soundtrack
• Mario's Catering  catering
• Movie Movers  cast trailers
• Movie Movers  hair and make-up trailers
• Movie Movers  star trailers
• NT Audio Visual  optical sound negative (as NT Audio)
• Newman Scoring Stage, Twentieth Century Fox Studios, The  orchestra recorded at (as Fox Newman Scoring Stage)
• Orbit Digital  HD services
• PIC Agency  main titles (as PIC)
• Panavision  cameras and lenses
• Sessions Payroll Management  extras payroll services
• ShowBiz Enterprises  draperies
• Signet Sound Studio  pre-recorded & mixed at (as Signet Sound)
• Technicolor  color
• Universal Studios Sound Facilities  re-recording services (as Universal Studios Sound)

Also Known As:

American Dreamz (Australia)

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Australia:M | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:PG | Germany:6 | France:U | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:13 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Ireland:PG (video rating) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42341) | Iceland:L | Netherlands:6 | South Korea:12

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

NBC Universal Television

Trivia:

Mandy Moore was Paul Weitz's only choice for the role of Sally Kendoo.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The logo on Omer's jacket is backwards (film was reversed) when his cousin decides to become his coach.

Quotes:

President Staton: Did you know there are two kinds of Iraqistanis?
[the First Lady holds up three fingers]
President Staton: I mean, actually, three?
Chief of Staff: You mean Sunnis and Shi'ites and Kurds?
President Staton: You knew about this?

Movie Connections:

References "Larry King Live" (1985)

Soundtrack:

Never Felt This Way Before

Simon Cowell meets President Bush

In American Dreamz, writer and director Paul Weitz unabashedly skewers Bush, Cheney, politics, American Idol, and the public that watches American Idol all in the same breath. That's quite a bit of satire to cram into a one hour and forty-seven minute movie, but cram Weitz does and for the most part he succeeds quite well.

In the world of American Dreamz President Staton (Dennis Quaid) has just been re-elected in a hard fought campaign. Left to his own devices Staton is non functional. It is his Chief of Staff (Willem Dafoe) who controls his every movement right down to telling Staton what to say through a hidden receiver place in his ear canal. One morning President Staton decides to take it easy and do something he has never done before which is to read a newspaper. "We do have one of those around, don't we," he asks his assistance. "I'm sure we do, but if we don't we can get you one," the assistant replies.

After having read his first newspaper Staton becomes addicted and begins reading anything and everything as if he were a tweener discovering his first Harry Potter story.

Then there is Simon Cowell clone Martin Tweed (Hugh Grant) who produces, hosts, and judges contestants on his version of American Idol called American Dreamz. He's shallow, manipulative, and thinks way too highly of himself. All would be right with the world except that he finds having to do actually do the show somewhat of an annoying minor detail.

Each season becomes more of a challenge to find the right contestants to drive his ratings higher because being number one in all demographics just isn't enough for Tweed. To do this he has to choose the right contestants that Americans can identify with, and their singing prowess has little to do with whom he chooses.

There is Ohio karaoke queen, Sally Kendoo (Mandy Moore) whose one big dream is not only to appear on Tweed's show but to win. After finding out that she has been selected Sally dumps her boyfriend who joins the Army and is sent to Iraq two weeks after a two week cram course at basic training. Of course he promptly gets shot and returns home as a wounded vet just in time for Sally to reunite with him because it will make a better back story.

Then there's terrorist Omer Obeidi (Sam Golzari). His main thrill in life is listening to American show tunes on old records left to him by his mother who was killed by an American bomb. He promptly flops at terrorist training and is sent to the United States to live with relatives until he is needed. It is there that he is accidentally discovered performing a musical number and given the chance to appear on Dreamz.

When President Staton decides to appear at the finals of American Dreamz as a judge after being in hiding for several weeks, Omer is recruited to blow Staton and himself up with a bomb.

Grant is great as Tweed. In fact, one almost wishes he hosted the real show. His criticisms of the contestants are biting as he sits in judgment in a chair from the audience as if he is a god telling America who gets to enter the pearly gates and who gets a quick drop down the chute to hell. (Tweed: It's up to you America, only you have the awesome power to lift someone up into the heavens and create a new star.)

Grant plays Tweed as if he would be the kind of self-centered ego maniac you would hate living next to you, but in the confines of the TV screen he somehow manages to be admirable, pleasant, and charming. You can't help but like him.

Mandy Moore has played the bad girl before in a wonderful film called Saved! Sally's a bad girl here also but of a different type. She wants to win at all costs but is just as cold and passionless about it as Tweed about how that goal is achieved. In fact Tweed and Kendoo are mirror images of each other, and Moore does a good job here of reflecting Tweed's image so that we can readily see the similarities.

The real surprise here is Golzari as Omer the Terrorist who thinks he should be a terrorist to avenge his mother's death but knows he isn't quite cut out for the job. He just isn't ready to meet Allah especially when the guy that gives him the mission tells him he'll meet him in the afterlife also…..in a number of years that is.

Weitz leaves no stone unturned in his skewering of our infatuation with pop culture and celebrity icons, so much so that we will vote for the manufactured image of our president rather than be bothered with the annoying details of how he might actually run the country. In the wrong hands all of this could have been too heavy handed and dreary, but Weitz keeps things light enough so that we can laugh at ourselves while still giving us some things to think about.

There are a lot of laughs and memorable moments in American Dreamz and you'll be thoroughly entertained, as long as you have no problem laughing at not only the situation of the world around you but by laughing at yourself also.

There are those who will undoubtedly be offended, especially if they are still the adoring fans of certain shows and politicians in the real world and can differentiate the difference between reality and entertainment. I certainly can tell the difference and I had a heckuva good time. And when I have a good time I have no choice but to give American Dreamz my grade and I have decided that American Dreamz is a saucy little minx that deserves a B+.