American Dreamz 04/22/06

"I don't want all these boring contestants, I want contestants that are human, and by that I mean contestants that are flawed, and by that I mean I want freaks. Real freaks."
Such is the logic of American Dreamz, that is so close to this world that it's a bit unsettling. I sometimes wonder what the reaction to Dr. Strangelove was in the early sixties. It might have been like this movie, maybe not to the same degree but yeah, like that.
Such is our day and age that things get sorta mixed around. We want to be liked, but how does one go about being liked. One thing everybody loves is sincerity, and so all the Presidents and pop stars and directors and celebrities study classes on how to be sincere. Large efforts are made to make sure there's an atmosphere of sincerity. But there's the paradox, for one can't make people believe fake sincerity, even if one is sincere which most of the people in this movie are even if they're contained in something so false as American Dreamz or an elcted office. Do you get it, how do you get people to think you're sincere without telling them you are (which is insincere). You can't act not sincere, because who would believe you're sincere then. Thus the catch-22, and the underlying invisible truth of this movie and yes of our times. 
It definitely was a surprise how this movie turned out. It really could have been a lot worse. But even though it had a plot so over-the-top, it never felt that way. Even though we had personalities that were seismic in shape (President Bush, Suicide Bomber, Any American Idol Contestant) they never felt forced. It doesn't throw jokes at your face and demand you laugh. It sits back, says trust me, and let's you come inside to share the joke. This movie was marketed as out of this world, but it's very in it. Let's take an example from Dennis Quaid's performance as President Stanton.
Now I've heard alot of jokes about George Bush being stupid, but never have I seen anything like this. For the first time ever, we emphasize and share sympathy with George Bush. Sure the guy's not perfect, but he's likable and sweet. Even Dick Cheney isn't that horrible. This is not make fun of George Bush time, it's how shall I say, someone who we wish our President could be. He's the hero of the story, and at the end there's a certain kind of redemption for his real life counterpart when President Stanton stands up, without an earpiece or script and says from his heart the best line in the movie. "I know that there are some problems in the middle east that will never never never never never be solved. and for that I am sorry." Then he shakes hands with Omer, the show tunes singing terrorist. I swear to God, I could vote for that guy. Not the real George Bush. But the Dennis Quaid charachter. Like most people, I just love sincerity.