American Dreamz 2006
This movie is the light fluff you expect given the previews and the fact that it is a spoof of American Idol. Hugh Grant plays the acerbic British host (every contest show has to have one) who is looking for something different to keep the show interesting. He seeks out a singing Jew and Arab to give the show some kind of global political footing, along with a white trash Britney wannabe whose boyfriend is a US soldier in Iraq.
There are some funny moments. The Arab is a terrorist, which certainly isn’t the only stereotype here. And there is a political story involving a W-like president who wakes up one day and decides to start reading the papers and finding out what is really going on in the world. So they’ve taken a lot of easy targets (George Bush, terrorists, American Idol) and put together a plot and some jokes. It doesn’t amount to much more than that, but it isn’t painful to watch. There are enough laughs and enough of a plot to keep your interest until it all ends with a bang.
Keep your expectations low and this could be worth watching. C+.