Directed by:
Paul WeitzScreenplay:
Paul WeitzCinematography:
Robert ElswitComposer:
Stephen TraskCast:
Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, Willem Dafoe, Chris Klein, Jennifer Coolidge, Marcia Gay Harden, John Cho, Judy Greer, Noureen DeWulf (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Hugh Grant is perfectly cast as Martin Tweed, the greedy, self-despising producer and host of AMERICAN DREAMZ, an AMERICAN IDOL-like television program that chooses contestants more on the basis of their ratings potential than genuine talent. Unapologetic and calculated, Tweed recognizes something of himself in Ohio-bred, ruthlessly conniving contestant Sally Kendoo (Mandy Moore). Dennis Quaid plays a pajama-clad President Staton, a character clearly modeled after George W. Bush. After taking a sudden interest in reading the newspaper, Staton grows confused and troubled by what he learns about his country and its international affairs. With the president refusing to leave his bedroom for weeks, the first lady (Marcia Gay Harden) and the Chief of Staff (Willem Dafoe) grow increasingly worried. Fearful that the president's laziness and newfound political awareness will cost him points in the public eye, the two orchestrate a plan that involves force-feeding him antidepressants and scheduling him for a spot as a guest judge on the finale of AMERICAN DREAMZ. Meanwhile, a terrorist plot unfolds, involving a planned assassination by another one of the show's contestants, the Broadway-dancing, theatre-loving Omer (Sam Golzari). (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Hugh Grant
UK
Best movies:
The Last Place on Earth (1985) (series)
The Gentlemen (2019)
Love Actually (2003)
Dennis Quaid
USA
Best movies:
Traffic (2000)
The Right Stuff (1983)
Any Given Sunday (1999)
Mandy Moore
USA
Best movies:
Tangled (2010)
A Walk to Remember (2002)
Dedication (2007)
Willem Dafoe
USA
Best movies:
Platoon (1986)
The Kingdom (1994) (series)
Finding Nemo (2003)
Chris Klein
USA
Best movies:
American Reunion (2012)
The United States of Leland (2003)
The Good Life (2007)
Jennifer Coolidge
USA
Best movies:
American Reunion (2012)
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Promising Young Woman (2020)
Marcia Gay Harden
USA
Best movies:
Into the Wild (2007)
Detachment (2011)
Mystic River (2003)
John Cho
South Korea
Best movies:
American Beauty (1999)
Star Trek (2009)
Star Trek into Darkness (2013)
Judy Greer
USA
Best movies:
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Ant-Man (2015)
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
Noureen DeWulf
USA
Best movies:
Ocean's 13 (2007)
The Taqwacores (2010)
When We First Met (2018)
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Iran
Best movies:
The Stoning of Soraya M. (2008)
House of Sand and Fog (2003)
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
Lisa K. Wyatt
Best movies:
Donnie Darko (2001)
Intermission (2003)
The Crazies (2010)
Tim Rhoze
Best movies:
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
In Good Company (2004)
America (2009) (TV movie)
Andrew Divoff
Venezuela
Best movies:
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Toy Soldiers (1991)
Perrey Reeves
USA
Best movies:
Smoke Signals (1998)
Kicking and Screaming (1995)
Old School (2003)
Carmen Electra
USA
Best movies:
Starsky & Hutch (2004)
The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human (1999)
Scary Movie (2000)
Haaz Sleiman
Lebanon
Best movies:
The Promise (2011) (series)
The Visitor (2007)
Those People (2015)
Aldis Hodge
USA
Best movies:
Straight Outta Compton (2015)
Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
Brian Banks (2018)
Seth Meyers
USA
Best movies:
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)
The Interview (2014)
New Year's Eve (2011)
Sam Golzari
UK
Best movies:
A Simple Wedding (2018)
American Dreamz (2006)
Letting Go (2012)