Hoping to shock the president (Dennis Quaid) out of an apparent nervous breakdown, the White House chief of staff (Willem Dafoe) books him as a guest judge on the country’s hottest TV talent show. With a ruthless host (Hugh Grant), a conniving singer (Mandy Moore), and a sleeper-cell terrorist in the mix, the stage is set for an unforgettable program.

For thoughts on American Dreamz, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/XVdHVOn5xZ0?si=M5d631YW2Bv0yv2R&t=3726]

Video Quality

American Dreamz comes to Blu-Ray with a 1080p transfer that is pretty decent and represents a good step up in quality from the old DVD. While I have no specific details about the transfer, this is pretty clearly derived from an older master that does the trick with few signs of age-related wear and tear. A fresh master would be embraced with its minor improvements, but we are not complaining about this transfer which looks fairly clear and detailed with only occasional moments of excessive softness.

The transfer is naturally filmic with some forthright detail in the modern production design and texture of costumes. Colors are a formidable aspect of the disc with bright, vibrant hues radiating off the screen in elements of the outfits, lighting, and stage design. Black levels have an acceptable depth and detail with not much in the way of crush. There are no significant digital anomalies, but we did notice brief banding and very discrete artifacts in short-lived moments. This is a steady presentation for this film which allows it to look nice at the end of the day.

Audio Quality

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment brings us this Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that delivers every element with precision. Dialogue holds up favorably, coming through clearly without being drowned out by the music or sound effects. The sounds of the bustling ecosystem on stage at American Dreamz bring rich life to the rear speakers. The movie features some fun tunes which sound great within the mix. The environmental effects are distinguished elegantly and are given a proper placement throughout the speakers. Numerous sequences allow the low end to show off in its own unique way. This is a track that accomplishes precisely what it needs to. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Paul Weitz and (eventually) actor Sam Golzari provide a decently entertaining and informative commentary track in which Weitz first wrestles with the nature of commentary tracks before they reflect on the production of the film, the talents of the ensemble, the political commentary, and more.

Center Stage with Sally Kendoo: A four-minute piece with an in-character Mandy Moore providing a backstage exploration video.

Dance Dreamz: A nearly eight-minute featurette that takes a look at the choreography developed for the film.

Deleted Scenes: There are 12 minutes of unused material provided here featuring some small snippets from the titular contest, moments with the president, and more that are amusing enough but were understandably cut for pacing reasons.

Final Thoughts

American Dreamz fancies itself an intelligent, biting satire, but the jokes are so obvious and the storyline is so slapdash that nothing ever feels daring or exciting. The performers keep things entertaining on the surface, but they are not enough to save the movie from itself. Especially if you lived during this time, you will not find enough fresh commentary to delight in returning to this one. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a passable A/V presentation and some decent legacy special features.

American Dreamz can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.