91Èȱ¬

The pursuit of happiness is a dizzying journey in madcap satire American Dreamz. In fact for writer/director Paul Weitz - who gave us the similarly themed and brilliantly incisive In Good Company and About A Boy - it wanders very far off the mark. Subtlety and sincerity go out the window in favour of crass stereotypes and easy jibes, much like the plot's all-singing TV talent show fronted by Hugh Grant in full-on sleaze mode. (Nobody mention Simon Cowell.)

It couldn't be less understated if Weitz followed every punch line by beating a gong. Dennis Quaid plays the bumbling US president and guest judge on American Dreamz who can't quite get a handle on that "Iraqistani" problem, Mandy Moore is a scheming Britney Spears clone and Sam Golzari plays an Arab jihadist with a secret passion for Broadway show tunes and Frank Sinatra. Cue the pidgin rendition of My Way...

"TOO LABOURED OR TOO LAZY"

Although it does boast a few laugh-out-loud moments, the gags are generally too obvious and the big set-ups either feel too laboured or too lazy. The portrayal of the Arab family is especially grating, but the actors are only partly to blame. Willem Dafoe comes off best as a White House spinmeister, but Grant, Quaid, Golzari and Moore are poorly served by a script that occasionally hints at some complexity in a character before swiftly reverting to type. It drags towards a messy conclusion, which only proves that in the end, this gaudy parade of 2D people is as hollow and heartless as the latest TV freak show.