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American Dreamz
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 American Dreamz Production NotesIn the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.- Andy Warhol, Pop Culture Icon
In the world of right-now, it seems as if literally everybody wants to be famous. And thanks to the global phenomenon of “reality” television, literally anyone can be.
Take self-aggrandizing host of the runaway American hit TV show entitled “American Dreamz,” Martin Tweed (Hugh Grant). Tweed's concept is a flashy reworking of the talent search formula: pit eager contestants against each other (talent sometimes notwithstanding) and televise their weekly battles to win judges' votes. In his all-out attempt to capture fickle television viewers and stay atop the network ratings' heap, Tweed has done anything and everything necessary to keep his show's popularity-and this season, he's just about to reach new heights.
The delicious new crop of aspiring “Dreamz” finalists includes such hopefuls as Sally (Mandy Moore), a Southern belle who's sugar and spice in front of the cameras and not-so-nice in real-life, and Omer, an incompetent would-be terrorist who's fond of Broadway show tunes.
Add to the mix Sally's puppet of a boyfriend-the dopey young veteran William Williams (Chris Klein)-and a cadre of equally colorful groupies, network types, cultural pundits and strategizing politicos.
And as if that weren't enough, Tweed has secured the President of the United States (Dennis Quaid) to serve as a special guest judge in the final installment of the season… setting the stage for an explosive show the nation will never forget.
Here comes the near future, where fame is readymade for those willing to do anything to get it.
Synopsis of the Film
“Everyone in America thinks they're middle class, so they like having someone to look down on.” - Hollywood agent Chet Krogl
As a nation, America just can't seem to get enough of the talent show “American Dreamz.” The weekly program, a TV ratings juggernaut, has seized a country that is now addicted to its regular fix of “who's in and who's out.” The brainchild of self-promoting, self-loathing Martin Tweed (Hugh Grant), the show's host is ever on the lookout for the next insta-celebrity.
Tired of the same boring guests season after season, Tweed decides to up this year's ante by recruiting a crop of bizarre hopefuls that includes Sally (Mandy Moore), a conniving steel magnolia with a devoted, dopey veteran boyfriend (Chris Klein) and fame-obsessed mom/manager Martha (Jennifer Coolidge); Omer (Sam Golzari), a recent immigrant and bumbling, Broadway show tune-singing / would-be terrorist awaiting activation; and Sholem (Adam Busch), an Orthodox cantor whose goofy raps were tailor-made for unscripted television. And as if that weren't enough, Tweed has booked the actual President of the United States, Joe Staton (Dennis Quaid)-pushed into the gig by his Chief of Staff (Willem Dafoe) and supported by his First Lady (Marcia Gay Harden)-to sit in as a guest judge on the final showdown, broadcast live to the biggest ratings yet…or so Tweed expects.
Sally is guided to the final round by Tweed, his show producers Accordo and Ittles (Judy Greer and John Cho) and her morally bankrupt agent Chet (Seth Meyers). During her weekly-televised ascent, she manages to claw her way to the center of the nation's conscience-only to find her path to winning “American Dreamz” threatened by lovable immigrant Omer.
A reluctant contestant who just wants to fit in his new home country, Omer is told by his secret terrorist training camp operatives to make his way to the finals. Once he's within arm's reach of the winner's circle, he's to detonate a bomb that will destroy guest judge President Staton (who's there to boost his own sagging approval ratings) and simultaneously strike a symbolic blow to hedonistic American culture.
With everything riding on the biggest show of the year for Tweed, President Staton and the two hopefuls, the stage is finally set for an explosive showdown the pop-fed nation will never forget.
Dreaming American Dreamz: Paul Weitz Finds Inspiration
“So to what degree is this country culpable for its actions? Are Americans to blame for America?” - “American Dreamz” hopeful / bumbling terrorist Omer
For filmmaker Paul Weitz, the genesis of his latest project began with a vexing idea: unfulfilled dreams. He reflects, “I was interested in making a film about a core aspect of the American identity-the idea that we are all supposed to have a dream. We're supposed to want something better than what we actually have.”
So, the writer put pen to paper and wrote “an utterly insane comedy about the idea that everybody in America has a dream-and how that `great thing' can actually drive our culture crazy.”
Long curious about the roots of quirky human behavior and its comic potential, Weitz and his team at Depth of Field Productions found the concept for a satirical film familiar territory. They had previously tackled social issues in the comedy of the American Pie franchise, About a Boy and In Good Company. But the often bizarre social and political climate of the past few years had left the filmmakers pondering an even more arresting theme: the shifting nature of “reality” viewed as entertainment while “real” reality threatens to erode into chaos.
“Part of the inspiration for the film was my fascination with pop culture and `American Idol'-the juxtaposition of being interested and obsessed with the show while world events become more crazy,” notes Weitz.
Reassembling much of the crew who had brought life to his previous films, Weitz turned to trusted producers Andrew Miano and Rodney Liber to bring American Dreamz from his page to the screen.
Producer Miano-who originally partnered with the Weitz brothers in 1999 and subsequently joined them under the shingle of Depth of Field-surmises that Weitz “wanted to make a film that looked at our cultural obsessions. He wanted to write a story with both a political and a pop-culture slant.”
From inspiration to completion, Weitz didn't waste any time. Producer Liber recalls his early conversations with Weitz in discussing American Dreamz as, “Paul wanted to get going on it right away so that it would be out when it was still timely. From the time he first told me about this movie to the time we were greenlit and in preproduction was two months.”
Miano echoes how Weitz's clear vision is emblematic of how he works. “He comes up with the idea, he puts pen to paper and the next thing you know, there's a script.”
“With Paul, it's like one-stop shopping,” concludes Liber. “Because he's the writer, producer and director, I can come to him with any potential problem, and he'll be able to solve it just by going to his computer, retyping or rethinking a scene and coming up with solutions that are sometimes even better than what they were originally.”
With working script in hand, Weitz and his team were ready to cast the film. All they needed to find was a band of actors willing to deliver sarcastic lines with the best of poker faces.
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Conniving steel magnolia Sally (Mandy Moore) in American Dreamz.
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