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American Dreamz | 2006 | PG-13 | - 4.4.5
A political satire that also takes on "American Idol": A popular talent show is hosted by a sleazy presenter (Hugh Grant) who chooses contestants for particular oddities -- such as a southern girl (Mandy Moore) whose boyfriend (Chris Klein) is a wounded Iraq war veteran, an Iraqi terrorist (Sam Golzari) whose only wish is to sing show tunes, and a Jewish rapper (Adam Busch). Into this mix steps the U.S. President (Dennis Quaid) as a guest judge -- depicted as a totally uninformed and disinterested figurehead, he is only interested in improving his ratings. Also with Willem Dafoe, Marcia Gay Harden and Sam Golzari. Directed by Paul Weitz. [1:47]
SEX/NUDITY 4 - Two people look through the keyhole of a door and it is suggested that they see a man and a young woman having sex. A husband and wife sit in a bed together, she rubs his shoulders, he purrs and growls at her and it is implied that they have sex.
► A woman wears a very low-cut dress that reveals cleavage, bare back and part of her breast is visible from the side. A young woman wears low-cut tops that reveal cleavage. Four men sit in a Jacuzzi and their bare shoulders are visible.
► A young man and a young woman kiss in a few scenes.
► A man talks to a woman about sex being great. A man and a young woman talk about having sex together. A young woman says to a man, "I'll do anything to win." A young woman says that her daddy "lives with another man." A song's lyrics include, "let's get raunchy..."
VIOLENCE/GORE 4 - A young man wears a bomb strapped to his chest, people in a studio run and scream, he pushes the button on the bomb, there is an explosion and we are told (we do not see) that two people died.
► A young man is shot in the arm (blood spurts and oozes through his shirt sleeve).
► We see young men in a terrorist training camp running obstacle courses and firing guns at a standee that resembles the U.S. President. A man plans to blow up a bomb in order to kill another man.
► A man talks about being called "the torturer." A young woman tells a young man, "I'm sorry I'm going to have to destroy you." A man talks about people, "kicking you and kicking you and kicking you and kicking you and kicking you until you shut up." A young woman talks about, "jabbing her eyes out with toothpicks and eating them." A woman tells a man that she is leaving him.
► A young woman throws a mirror and it shatters. A young woman stumbles down a flight of stairs but is OK.
LANGUAGE 5 - 2 F-words, 7 sexual references, 3 scatological terms, 9 anatomical terms (3 mild), 16 mild obscenities, name-calling (idiot, stupid, moron, gaymeister, hairy she-male), 1 religious profanity, 11 religious exclamations. [ ../../help/about.htm#glossary">profanity glossary -->
SUBSTANCE USE - A man and a woman drink alcohol, and people drink alcohol in a few bar scenes and a few celebration scenes. A man (the President) takes prescription medication referred to as "happy pills." A man talks about having been "pretty toasted" at a party.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Celebrity, fame, greed, reality, lack of concern for others, cold heartedness, competition, destiny, satisfaction, winning and losing, presidential politics, martyrdom, hate, hate of political actions vs. hating the people of a country, culpability, suicide bombing, love, using people to help you get ahead, weight issues, unhappiness, weight control (binging and starvation), dreams, goals.
MESSAGE - Anyone can be made into a celebrity -- with the right spin.
CAVEATS
Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.
We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.
Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.
Saturday Night - 4.4.10
Piece by Piece - 1.2.3
Joker: Folie à Deux - 7.7.10
Monster Summer - 1.4.3
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We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.
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Become a member of our premium site for just $2/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.
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