Movie review: 'American Dreamz'

At a time when more Americans can name Tom Cruise's daughter than China's head of state, the ratio of brain space devoted to pop trivia vs. what we should know has never been more out of whack. "American Dreamz" uses our obsession with TV talent competitions for a comic attack on the media's ability to degrade politics, personal relationships and the very way we process reality. In its eagerness to make fun of everyone, the film becomes a McFlurry of satirical targets, but it's still a tasty concoction.

Hugh Grant plays Martin Tweed, the loathsome creator and host of a weekly TV blockbuster that offers one lucky performer a shot at celebrity, while humiliating 49 others. The show, "American Dreamz," is a direct result of Martin's insecurities (his mother told him he was talentless and unlovable), which have rendered him at once narcissistic and self-flagellating. It also meshes nicely with the strain of social Darwinism that runs through U.S. history.

Reviewing the new crop of "freaks" recruited for the upcoming season, Martin finds himself drawn to manipulative karaoke champ Sally (Mandy Moore), whose will to win at any cost appeals to him. While they're both too egocentric for love to enter the picture, they form a mentor and protégée relationship that gives Sally the inside track.

Three thousand miles away, newly reelected President Staton (Dennis Quaid) has a similar pupil-and-master relationship with his Svengali chief of staff (Willem Dafoe, looking like a Photoshop mash-up of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney). Weary after a rough campaign, the commander in chief decides to read the newspapers his people never let him see. Astounded at what they contain, he begins reading compulsively. He withdraws to his bedroom, his popularity plummets and in a bid to reinforce his appeal, his staffers arrange for him to appear on "American Dreamz" as a special judge.

This unusual outing presents a once-in-a-jihad opportunity for a terrorist group. One of its members, Omer (Sam Golzari), a klutz who loves Broadway tunes, has been mothballed in California, where he can't embarrass the cause. Reactivated, he is ordered to enter the competition, win and make the finale an unforgettable spectacle.

There are complications aplenty -- too aplenty to keep track of, actually -- but writer/director Paul Weitz ("About A Boy") never lets the momentum flag. Grant is despicable yet touching as a man who has made a fortune and sabotaged his life selling empty fantasies. He is also uproariously funny: His eyebrows could individually be nominated for Golden Globes. Moore is note-perfect as a medium-talent striver who will do anything to get ahead. (And surely the casting of Katie Holmes' ex, Chris Klein, as the boyfriend Moore dumps on her way to stardom is not sheer coincidence.)

Although "Dreamz" doesn't hold together as a seamless whole, most of its components are worth the price of admission on their own.

Colin Covert • 612-673-7186