May 1, 2006
American Dreamz
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sexual references.
reviewed by Kevin D. Hendricks
PLANET WISDOM
The nation is at war with terrorism, the president is deemed an anti-intellectual who doesn’t read a newspaper, and a TV show about discovering pop stars gets more votes than a presidential election. Is this reality or just a movie?
The Story
“American Dreamz” is a wicked satire on “American Idol,” president George W. Bush, terrorism, Al Qaeda, and just about anything else the producers could hit with their satire stick. . .
The Verdict
If you can’t already tell, “American Dreamz” lays it on a little thick, though the “American Idol” spoof is spot on. Hugh Grant makes pretentious look easy and does a smashing job lampooning “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell. Sally Kendoo pokes fun at all the starlets who go way too far to manufacture fame.
But then there’s the anti-intellectual president. He’s slow. He’s dumb. He’s supposed to be George W. Bush. We get it. But then the slams just keep coming. He needs medication. He reads the Bible. (Gasp!) He’s incompetent. It’s way over the top. And since when was terrorism an acceptable subject for comedy? The Middle-Eastern stereotypes and lampooning of terrorism are just awkward. Is there ever a time when suicide bombers are funny?
If the filmmakers had narrowed their sights to “American Idol,” it could have been hilarious. But they had to go into the realm of the ludicrous with singing suicide bombers who — in the words of the Frank Sinatra classic — “will do it my way.”
“American Dreamz” is rated PG-13 for brief language and some sexual references.
RTF View: Not a movie that we suggest, but do check out Planet Wisdom’s Worldview on this movie.
Kaitlin says:
That’s very interesting.
Jade says:
I hate it when the media tries to bash our President. It bothers me if whether it’s Bush or Clinton because I think we should respect our President. I’m not saying that we should agree with everything he says or does, but we should have the utmost respect for the man guiding our nation.
That’s my two cents, anyway.
Jade
Jade says:
Oops! I meant to say: It bothers me whether it’s Bush or Clinton–I accidentally added an “if” in the sentence. Oops!
Your Sister in Christ,
Jade