I just saw this movie now, in 2015. And it is really scary to know that we already knew this much about the world and that up to now the same problems are here.I agree that this movie in its form has flaws. It is very clear that something went missing between scenes, or the scenes were not explored deep enough, or there were too many plots, or the direction was not strong enough, or the humor was too lousy... BUT underlying it there's a real clear view of the state of our world, and that's why I am really glad to have seen this movie.One of the best lines of the movie is when the president finally gets rid of his earplug and speaks for himself and says : "And I just want to say, in terms of the Middle East, that it looks like the problems over there are never gonna be solved. I mean never. Never never never never never. And so I'm sorry about that."

Martin Tweed (Hugh Grant) is the self-loathing host of the highly successful talent show American Dreamz. US President Joseph Staton (Dennis Quaid) just got re-elected and decides to actually read the newspaper after 4 years in office. He's shocked at the news and starts to do more reading. His Chief of Staff (Willem Dafoe) tries to cover it up by signing him up to judge the new season of American Dreamz. Deborah Accordo (Judy Greer) and Frank Ittles (John Cho) are two of the producers looking for talent. Sally Kendoo (Mandy Moore) dumps her boyfriend William Williams (Chris Klein) and he joins the Army. Her agent Chet Krogl (Seth Meyers) tells her to take back William after he gets flesh wound in Iraq. Omer Obeidi (Sam Golzari) is a failed terrorist. When Omer gets to the finals, the terrorists see an opportunity to kill the President.This thinly veiled American Idol satire is way too broad to hit any real targets. In fact, none of it is funny. The President is so on the nose. Hugh Grant loses his charming ways. Mandy Moore is nowhere near funny enough to be the lead girl. Trying to make terrorism a central part of this satire is a high risk move. It's not successful. Nobody is funny or simply not horrible. Judy Greer and John Cho come closest to being funny. Watching the fake contest is deadly boring. This starts with Paul Weitz's script and ends with Paul Weitz's directions. It has to be all his fault.

Against good advice I decided to watch 'American Dreamz'. The fact that Dennis Quaid is playing president and that Hugh Grant is in it should have been reason enough to avoid this. But the reality show spoof concept and the supposed satire angle got me interested. Moreover I had read Ben Elton's 'Chart Throb' (that came out the same year) which also revolves around the behind the scenes of a song contest reality show and it's one of the funniest books I have ever read. So 'American Dreamz' couldn't be that bad now can it? In all fairness, with the exception of the terrorist angle, it is quite funny in the beginning. It could have been more amusing but nonetheless I laughed a little. Then somewhere before the second half it heads downhill not standing any chance for recovery. The movie felt very rushed. The whole terrorist angle felt out of place and clichéd. There's also a boring preachy 'patriotic' sequence. Mandy Moore is adequate. Willem Dafoe, Judy Greer, John Cho, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Marcia Gay Harden are first rate (but every one of them have tiny roles). Hugh Grant is irritating as usual. Dennis Quaid is passable. And, 'American Dreamz' is forgettable.

At the time this movie was made, American Idol voters already rivaled political election voters. Director Paul Weitz, who gave us American Pie, throws everything in including the kitchen sink in this movie: an inept president facing a crisis of confidence (who mirrors one George W. Bush intentionally or not), a Broadway music-loving terrorist trainee, and intellectually vapid young Americans doing what they do best: kissing themselves in front of mirrors, running to the mall, and self-indulging. There are some bright moments to be sure in this satire vs. farce, but several scenes are often uncomfortably close to reality, as in the self-absorbed bratty Mandy Moore character who resembled some of the female students I taught over the years. Hugh Grant is much better than usual as a Simon Cowell type host of an American Idol type show, revealing just how laughably phony that type of show really is. Willem Dafoe is funny as a Dick Cheney look-a-like, but Dennis Quaid is wasted as the befuddled president. The terrorist sub-plot doesn't really work that well either, but Chris Klein is funny as an idiot boyfriend manipulated by Mandy Moore to further her "career". **1/2 of 4 stars.