Having absolutely loved "About a Boy" and "In Good Company" (and even "American Pie"), I eagerly anticipated "American Dreamz." Perhaps because Hugh Grant stars, I was hoping that it would have the kind of cinematic impact and heart of "About a Boy." It doesn't. But it's still a fun movie.

Rather ambitious in its breadth, the film feels a tad unwieldy: from terrorist training camps to the office of the President to Jane Anybody in Middle America to the stage of American Idol (oops, I mean American Dreamz).

The world is surely ready for satire of American Idol, but will America be ready for a friendly satire of terrorists? All give good performances. Especially noteworthy, Dennis Quad's tongue in cheek portrayal of a recent US president. William Dafoe as his trusted advisor. Mandy Moore really shows off some acting prowess here, succeeding at a trickier kind of humor. Grant is solid as well, but the film still lacks a certain something. The presidential plot looked promising in the heart department, but the filmmakers stay committed to poke-funnery instead.

With such acting talent and some of the creators of much better films, you may be expecting more than a good farce. However, the farce is pretty much what you're getting here, a few interesting comments on politics and pop culture, and some good silly fun. A little slow to find the funny bone, but it eventually gets there. It's a solid B movie with just a tad more. I'm giving it a B+ with the recommendation as a rental -- it'll play better on TV.

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