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'American Dreamz': Funny? In your dreamz...

American Dreamz must have sounded terrific in the pitch meeting, but it sure comes off flat on the big screen.

Paul Weitz, who gave us two savvy comedies in About a Boy and In Good Company — to say nothing of that salute to America at its most base, American Pie — sets out this time to poke fun at two of the nation's more inexplicable phenomena, the American Idol talent show and George W. Bush.

Universal Pictures 'American Dreamz' C- The verdict: A sendup of presidential politics and talent shows fails to be as funny as the real thing. Director: Paul Weitz Starring: Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, Willem Dafoe, Chris Klein Run time: 115 minutes Release date: April 21, 2006 Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language and some sexual references. See showtimes Meet the director From 'American Pie' to 'American Dreamz,' Paul Weitz stays funny all the way. On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate 'American Dreamz'   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

He even has a promising notion for their intersection, as the newly reelected president is persuaded by his advisers that he can bolster his already sagging poll numbers by appearing as a judge on the show's final episode. The problem, of course, in parodying American Idol or spoofing the commander-in-chief is that they are both such obvious comic targets that no lampoon could be sharp enough to outdo the reality.

From About a Boy, Weitz reenlists Hugh Grant as a toothy, egomaniacal Simon Cowell clone. He is a contemptuous chap named Martin Tweed, who reigns smugly over the No. 1 television show in the nation, American Dreamz.

To assure that it does not fall off its exalted perch, Tweed sends out his sycophantic staff to find freakish contestants. Among those they return with are Sally Kendoo, a poor, white-trash blonde (Mandy Moore) with a wounded-in-action in Iraq boyfriend (American Pie's Chris Klein), and Omer, a bumbling Iraqi terrorist with a weakness for show tunes (Sam Golzari).

That might have been enough for a show-business satire, but Weitz wants to have his political cake, too. When President Staton (Dennis Quaid) develops a sudden yen to read newspapers, and takes to his bed on discovering that the world situation is not nearly as simple as his chief adviser (Willem Dafoe, doing a cartoonish Dick Cheney/Karl Rove) says, he is persuaded to pop in on American Dreamz. This leads to an assignment for Omer — to blow up himself and the president on national TV. Are you laughing at any of this yet?

Quaid is sufficiently dimwitted as the president and Marcia Gay Harden has a few good moments as his maternal first lady. The revelation of the movie, though, is Moore, who plays fame-hungry Sally with fine comic conviction and also sings well, probably better than the character would.

Still, American Dreamz should enrage at least two groups: the Arab Anti-Defamation League and those who believe that comedies should be funny.