Review: American Dreamz

"Dreamz...with a Z."

It's almost just as silly as the Anna Faris song ("Forgiveness...is more than saying sorry...") in Just Friends, but it's hardly indicative of the tone of the whole movie. Yes, Paul Weitz's American Dreamz can be a laugh-trip (primarily courtesy of Tony Yalda as the outrageous diva Iqbal Riza), but the political themes prevent the film from sagging into merely an insignificant parody of "American Idol." It's a good film, but it's hard to encapsulate the feelings that it invokes as a whole. It's not slapstick comedy, but it's too light and fluffy to be genuine political satire. Let's just say that it's an unusual comedy film that yes, I still recommend that you watch. But if you're a fan of Hugh Grant (as much as I am), don't expect as much charm and wit here as he exhibits in his better films, like Love Actually (where he's brilliant). This isn't his film. Grade: B