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American Dreamz

Some people just can’t appreciate good satire. Nor can they appreciate how delicately satire must be played to work on screen. Timing, tone and chemistry play much larger roles in comedic satire than any other genre and it’s difficult to truly make them work. When done right, the film takes on a subtle brilliance, evidenced by the small references to current events, product placement or plain resemblance of the actors to real-life individuals. It’s a truly wonderful feat. But crafting a satire always runs the risk of being labeled as distasteful. And even if the film’s brilliance is obvious, being labeled as such can ruin chances critically, financially and historically.

“American Dreamz” is one such film, destined to be overlooked, with one side passing it off as a stale teen flick, the other deeming it offensive and distasteful. The unfortunate thing is the audience who would flock to see such a film, teenage girls, won’t understand most of the social references. They’ll see Mandy Moore looking fabulous, playing a shrewd, calculating pop star wannabe to perfection. They’ll see Hugh Grant playing Hugh Grant. They’ll see Chris Klein, whose role in the “American Pie” films suited him much better than the soldier-boyfriend of Moore. And they’ll see a spoof of “American Idol,” yet much more entertaining.

The audience who would understand the film’s references will probably be out dining with friends discussing the actual issues, rather than watching a film which appears to them as a typical teen flick. Had they gone to see the film, however, they would see Dennis Quaid playing a president who hasn’t read a newspaper or book in four years. They’d see Shohreh Aghdashloo, whose quality acting deserves so much more than cameo appearances in films like this and “X-Men.” They’d see a tasteful discourse on the current state of terrorism. And they’d see an ironic, yet refreshing ending, lacking in all the typical happily-ever-after heart warmers.

The references don’t stop there. Klein’s character, who is sent to Iraq early in the film, gets shot while riding a truck his first day, and thus sent home a war veteran to spend the next 45 minutes being manipulated by Moore and the media machine. Jennifer Coolidge, recognized most in the “Legally Blonde” films, plays Moore’s obsessed mother, more concerned with her daughter’s career than her welfare. And we’ve got terrorists who plan an attack on the top-rated TV show in the country, perhaps a jab at the fact that over 30 million people watch music contests, while less than 3 million watch the news. Why should they plan an attack that would only be seen by 3 million American eyes when they can net a cool 30 million viewers? It all makes such sense.

Luckily, the film will be immortalized on DVD in the near future, so all the people who overlooked it, and those who may have been too young to appreciate it, will be able to experience the revelry of a modern American satire.

Written by: Jason Villemez

Reviewers Rating: 8.5
Reader's Rating: 8.00
Reader's Votes: 1

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